Habitat bank proposed to boost biodiversity and support nature recovery
An area of land on the South Downs near Patcham could soon be turned into a nature reserve to increase biodiversity and restore habitats for plants and wildlife.
The proposal to register the site at St Michael’s Field as a habitat bank will be considered by councillors next week.
If agreed, it would be the city’s first habitat bank, piloting an innovative approach to nature recovery which enables the creation, restoration and protection of habitats through local planning agreements.
Enhancing biodiversity through planning
Developers now have a legal obligation to deliver a minimum 10% biodiversity net gain (BNG) for most new developments. This can be done on site, but there are times where it might be done offsite. In those situations, developers can purchase “units” from habitat bank schemes.
St Michael’s Field would initially create 44 of these units, which can be bought by developers as BNG units, or by businesses as voluntary biodiversity credits.
Income generated through the sale of units and credits will be used to fund the costs of managing the site for nature over 30 years.
Brighton & Hove’s proposal would give St Michael’s Field a new future as a nature-rich open space for residents to discover and enjoy. The site is identified as open access, meaning people can roam freely across it. Making a habitat bank here will improve the local community’s access to nature and the health and wellbeing benefits that come with that.
What we're doing to restore nature
It complements a range of actions in the city to restore nature. These include joining up wildflower areas to provide wildlife corridors and connect the city to the Downs; encouraging nature-friendly farming across the city downland estate; tree planting and conservation; and enhancing internationally rare chalk grassland and coastal vegetation.
Councillor Tim Rowkins, deputy leader and Cabinet member for Net Zero, said: “We are incredibly lucky to have the South Downs on our doorstep, and the opportunities for nature recovery are huge. This pilot unlocks funding for long-term nature recovery at scale, and we see it as just the beginning of an ambitious programme. For example, the council’s latest wildflower bank survey in the city found a staggering 554 species of invertebrates, including more than 50 types of bees and 191 species of plants.
“Using funding from development to manage large sites for nature in the long term will turbocharge our efforts, and learning from this pilot will help us deliver the next stages on this ambitious journey."
More information
The habitat bank supports our Council Plan 2023-27 outcomes for an accessible, clean and sustainable city, with the aim of protecting and enhancing the natural environment and working towards net zero.
The East Sussex and Brighton & Hove Local Nature Recovery Strategy will be published in spring. Find out more on the Sussex Nature Recovery website
More information about the City Downland Estate
Read the reports for the January cabinet meeting
Habitat banks
A habitat bank is a piece of land where new or enhanced natural habitats are created (like woodlands, meadows, or wetlands) to increase biodiversity. This is done by generating "biodiversity units" or "credits" that can be sold to developers.
It's a proactive way to fund nature restoration, providing landowners with income from underused land and creating a reserve of ecological value before development occurs, ensuring a supply of units for developers.
Biodiversity net gain (BNG)
Most planning permissions (above a certain size) in England are now subject to a condition requiring a BNG plan to be submitted and approved before development can begin.
Developers must demonstrate at least a 10% net gain in biodiversity value. If developers cannot deliver biodiversity benefits on-site, they must compensate for the loss of habitat by purchasing off-site biodiversity units that will deliver a like-for-like habitat type.
BNG units are a standardised measurement of habitat value used to ensure developments leave nature in a measurably better state.
Discover how Biodiversity Net Gain works in Brighton & Hove
Find out more about the council’s biodiversity duty
Voluntary biodiversity credits
Biodiversity net gain units can also be sold as voluntary biodiversity credits (VBCs). The VBC market is separate to the BNG unit market but operates in the same way.
Any business, organisation, charity or individual can purchase VBCs to contribute to nature restoration and support conservation efforts.
Find out more about voluntary biodiversity credits on the South Downs National Park website.