Chester Habitat Bank

County: Cheshire
Local planning authority (LPA): Cheshire West and Chester Council
National Character Area (NCA): Shropshire, Cheshire and Staffordshire Plain
Biodiversity gain sites register number: BGS-260226001

Birds-eye render of Chester Habitat Bank before restoration

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows

High distinctiveness habitats

Floodplain wetland mosaic and CFGM
Ponds (priority habitat)
Reedbeds
Traditional orchards
Wet woodland

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Ditches
Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Other woodland; broadleaved
Willow scrub

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Habitat Bank overview

Thoughtfully placed along the River Gowy, our Chester Habitat Bank is less than five miles from Chester city centre and spreads across more than 135 acres around Mickle Trafford.

This BNG Habitat Bank is specifically designed to encourage an abundance of native flora and fauna through its diverse habitats – including wildflower meadows, mixed native woody scrub, woodland, reedbeds, and ponds.

BNG delivery

At every Habitat Bank, we always look at the land to determine what can be achieved from the very start. Our biodiversity experts assess the soil, wildlife, vegetation, geology, hydrology, management history, and connectivity across the local landscape.

We take a baseline for each Habitat Bank using the statutory biodiversity metric. We carefully select the best possible habitats for us to establish so we can deliver and demonstrate measurable biodiversity gains over time.

Neighbouring LPAs
Warrington Borough Council
Wirral Metropolitan Borough Council
Liverpool City Council
Shropshire Council
Halton Borough Council
Cheshire East Council

Neighbouring NCAs
Cannock Chase and Cank Wood
South West Peak
Mersey Valley
Shropshire Hills
Wirral
Needwood and South Derbyshire Claylands
Oswestry Uplands
Manchester Conurbation
Potteries and Churnet Valley
Mid Severn Sandstone Plateau
Cheshire Sandstone Ridge

Our vision

Our Chester Habitat Bank provides an excellent location for farmland to transform and lost habitats to be reintroduced. Divided by the railway line connecting Chester and Helsby, the site was largely made up of species-poor grazing land.

We are working closely with the landowner to restore biodiversity and encourage a wealth of wildlife to grow in abundance. We’re also using the farmer’s existing livestock to graze the Habitat Bank sustainably, creating structural variety amongst the habitats – reflecting historic land management practices that supported healthy ecosystems.

With a significant portion of coastal and floodplain grazing marsh which periodically floods from the River Gowy, we are intentionally creating a diverse range of maintained wetland habitats. These will include floodplain wetland mosaic, ditches, and ponds designed for amphibians and birds of special conservation status to thrive.

We are pleased that the public will be able to witness the natural development of this broad space over time by visiting via multiple Public Rights of Way (PRoWs) throughout the Habitat Bank.