Halnaker Hill Farm has provided off-site biodiversity net gain (BNG) units to two housing developments in Hampshire and West Sussex, helping to meet their planning requirements while supporting the delivery of new homes.
The agreements with Stonebond Properties and Bloor Homes will see a total of 11 BNG units allocated from the registered habitat bank at Halnaker Hill Farm, near Chichester.
Stonebond Properties is developing 90 new homes at Bartons Road, Havant, Hampshire, comprising 90 much-needed affordable homes for The Guinness Partnership. Halnaker Hill Farm has provided eight off-site BNG units to support the scheme.
A particular feature of the agreement was the solution developed to address the development’s requirement to compensate for the loss of open mosaic habitat. This is a niche and relatively rare habitat type, with no suitable provision available in the region.
Working with the requirements of the development, Halnaker provided a combination of species-rich grassland, scrub and pond habitat units. These habitat types offered an appropriate alternative to offset the habitat affected by the development, with the proposed solution welcomed by the local planning authority.
The second agreement is with Bloor Homes for its development of 40 new homes at Cooks Lane, Southbourne, West Sussex, including 12 affordable homes. Halnaker Hill Farm has supplied three off-site BNG units to meet the scheme’s biodiversity requirements.
Greg Lukasiewicz, marketing director at Halnaker Hill Farm, said: “Delivering new homes and improving the natural environment need to go hand in hand. Our role is to help developers move forward with housing schemes while ensuring that the impact on biodiversity is addressed and the resulting environmental benefits are secured for the long term. These two projects demonstrate how carefully planned habitat creation and restoration can support development while leaving nature in a stronger position.”
Introduced under the Environment Act 2021, mandatory BNG requires most new developments in England to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity value. Where this is not possible to deliver on site, they can purchase off-site units from registered habitat banks, which are legally secured and maintained for at least 30 years.
Halnaker Hill Farm is a 330-acre family-owned and managed estate near Chichester in the South Downs National Park. Previously dominated by intensive arable farming, the land is being managed to support nature recovery through the creation and restoration of species-rich grassland, woodland, hedgerows, ponds and other habitats.
The project is owned by Halnaker Hill Natural Capital (HHNC), with property developer Kingsbridge responsible for handling the commercial aspects of the scheme.
The site created more than 850 registered BNG units available for developers, offering statutory and voluntary biodiversity net gain opportunities.
South Downs National Park and Bidwells are sales agents for BNG Units, while Earthly is the agent for Voluntary Biodiversity Credits.
For more information see www.halnakerhill.co.uk
