Essex farm Spains Hall Estate has completed what is believed to be the first off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) deal in Braintree District in north west Essex.
A developer working in Braintree District secured the required off-site habitat units from a local pioneering nature recovery project after maximising the on-site compensation they could achieve. This approach was supported by Braintree District Council through the planning process and secured using the first BNG Section 106 agreement in the district. An area of 1.3 hectares of new grassland and scrub will be created and maintained at Spains Hall Estate for at least the next 30 years.
Archie Ruggles-Brise, Estate Manager of Spains Hall Estate, said, “This deal is fantastic as it will enable us to dedicate some of our less productive land to nature. This fits brilliantly alongside our transition to sustainable farming and other nature based projects (including our famous beavers who continue to reduce flood risk in Finchingfield!) We hope it is the first of many such deals we secure as we aim to restore over 100 hectares of wildlife habitats on the farm through our Ecological Landscape Plan.
Archie added, “Credit should also go to the team at Braintree District Council. This is the first BNG Section 106 agreement they’ve approved, and their collaborative approach was instrumental in getting it done. We hope it will ultimately help establish Braintree District as a focus for sustainable development that results in nature recovery as well as economic growth. ”
This first BNG deal builds on many years pioneering work to restore nature at the Spains Hall Estate. Since 2020 the estate were one of only five Natural England Biodiversity Net Gain pilot sites, helping the government and regulators develop the policy that underpins this and other BNG deals. The estate now offers BNG Units to developers through the country, but with a focus on East Anglia and London.
