Biodiversity net gain (BNG) in Oxfordshire and Buckinghamshire for landowners
Biodiversity net gain is a new approach to development that leaves biodiversity in a better state after a development is completed than before. Where developers are not able to enhance and restore biodiversity on-site, they are required to buy off-site biodiversity units. Demand for off-set sites is increasing.
For farmers and landowners, putting some land into a nature recovery project, such as a Habitat Bank, has many benefits including:
contributing to nature recovery across Oxfordshire
improving the natural resilience of your land
diversifying income and spreading risk.
A landowner’s perspective on BNG
Julian Gold, of the Hendred Estate on the Ridgeway, explains why he worked with Trust for Oxfordshire's Environment to establish a Habitat Bank.
How we help farmers and landowners
The Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment navigates the complexities of BNG on behalf of landowners and farmers, across the whole lifetime of the project, to achieve the best possible outcomes for them and for nature.
We have been working on BNG in Oxfordshire and the surrounding area since 2018. We were one of the first in the country to deliver BNG units, and we have already delivered units on over 100 hectares of Oxfordshire countryside.
With our long-standing relationships with local planning authorities, and our track record of delivery, we are ideally placed to help farmers and landowners interested in setting up habitat banks in Oxfordshire.
We have well-established links with developers, having been the primary off-set facilitator in Oxfordshire for the last five years. By acting as a broker between you and the developer, TOE can facilitate sales and manage all reporting responsibilities of running a Habitat Bank, leaving you to manage the land.
We understand that priorities and needs of individual farmers and landowners are different. That is why we offer expert support, tailored to your precise needs, while you remain in control.
As a charitable organisation, there are no charges to work with TOE.
Creating a Habitat Bank
We can help you through the steps needed to establish a habitat bank or bespoke site, from initial idea to entering the site on the National Register, using the knowledge and expertise we have built up.
Farmers, land managers, landowners, charities, parish councils and non-profits are all welcome to apply. You must have management control of the land for over 30 years.
We use a three-stage process to identify and develop the best opportunities:
Expression of Interest (EOI)
Site assessment and project development- TOE can assist with costs and advice
Preparation of a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan.
The process
Below is a flowchart produced by DEFRA outlining the steps land managers need to take to sell to this new ecosystem service market by creating Habitat Banks, and how TOE can help in the process.
Register a site
Are you a landowner who would like to make more space for nature and ensure it is managed for wildlife in perpetuity? If you register your site with TOE, we can assist with the rest. Biodiversity Net Gain unit sales pay for a habitat enhancement project and 30 years of aftercare on your site.
The most attractive sites will present opportunities to improve the condition of habitats in areas of strategic importance, such as in the draft Nature Recovery Network and Conservation Target Areas. If a site is selected to progress a project idea, an independent TOE Assessor will support the landowner in the development of a suitable project and management plan.
Simply contact us to register a site. This does not represent any form of commitment and you can request to have the site removed from TOE’s register at any time. We only need some outline details about a site’s location, size, current land use and habitats present. We treat any information provided as sensitive, in line with our Privacy Policy.