Heacham Habitat Bank

County: Norfolk
Local planning authority (LPA): Borough Council of King's Lynn and West Norfolk
National Character Area (NCA): The Fens
Biodiversity gain sites register number: BGS-250924001

Birds-eye render of Heacham Habitat Bank before restoration

Biodiversity Units available:

Very high distinctiveness habitats

Lowland meadows

Medium distinctiveness habitats

Mixed scrub
Other neutral grassland
Ponds (non-priority habitat)
Species-rich native hedgerow
Other woodland; broadleaved

Buy Biodiversity Units

Habitat Bank overview

Located near King’s Lynn, our Heacham Habitat Bank stretches across more than 20 hectares of land adjacent to the West Norfolk coastline.

Here, we are transforming the existing arable fields into an incredible haven for native wildlife – providing essential coastal and floodplain grazing marsh habitats.

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.

Biodiversity Units from this Habitat Bank are ready to purchase now, subject to availability. Provided alongside expert planning support, these Biodiversity Units offer an effective local off-site BNG solution for the Borough Council of King’s Lynn and West Norfolk LPA and The Fens NCA.

Coverage

Adjacent LPAs	Adjacent NCAs
Breckland Council	The Brecks
West Suffolk Council	Kesteven Uplands
Fenland District Council	East Anglian Chalk
North Norfolk District Council	North West Norfolk
South Holland District Council	Central Lincolnshire Vale
East Cambridgeshire District Council	Southern Lincolnshire Edge
	Lincolnshire Coast and Marshes
	Bedfordshire and Cambridgeshire Claylands

Our vision

We are establishing a rich and diverse mosaic of grassland, woodland, and ponds across our Heacham Habitat Bank – abundant in beautiful wildflowers. To encourage native species to grow, we’re removing any invasive species of plant – such as Horsetail located on the southern side of the site.

The Habitat Bank is bordered by hedgerows, a staple of British countryside, and located within the wider Wild Ken Hill Project which aims to return land to nature through rewilding, regenerative farming, and traditional conservation.

It also sits in proximity to The Wash and North Norfolk Coast Ramsar site, Special Protection Area (SPA), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and Special Area of Conservation (SAC). This makes the Habitat Bank ideally placed to develop connectivity with parts of the existing habitat creation and wildlife conservation project on the estate, as well as the other local nature recovery priorities.