Environment Bank

📣 Podcast ep is live! Join Alexa Culver, General Counsel at Environment Bank, on the EG Property Podcast as we dive into harnessing off-site Biodiversity Units for a successful BNG strategy with Anna Rose, Head of the Planning Advisory Service (PAS) and Adas Rico Wojtulewicz-Richmond, Head of Policy and Market Insight at National Federation of Builders. In this episode, we explore: - importance of a thriving off-site BNG market - challenges of implementing and resourcing for BNG across the sector - establishment of responsible bodies to govern habitat banks - creation of industry-accepted Section 106 agreements Listen here: https://lnkd.in/ewaKpS2E

Not long to go until our Associate Ecologist, Matthew Dodds, is explaining the small sites metric and how we can support SMEs on their Biodiversity Net Gain journey. Hosted by the Home Builders Federation, Matt joins: - Sam Stafford, Planning Director at HBF (Host) - Rachel Danemann, Regional Planning Manager at HBF - nick white, Principal Advisor – Net Gain at Natural England Register here: https://lnkd.in/eGVT-SyM

We recently provided Biodiversity Units for leading property developer Galliard Homes who were building a community-orientated retirement village in Oxfordshire and required off-site BNG after preserving, restoring, and enhancing as much as possible on-site.   This solution meant that on-site spaces could be made as accessible as possible for residents and any lost habitats were replaced where they could be most beneficial for nature. As we had a stock of suitable Biodiversity Units on hand, we were able to offer a streamlined process for the developer.   A huge thanks to Galliard Homes, Shiplake Meadows, and real estate advisors at Avison Young. Also a big well done to our planning, delivery, and legal teams for their work on this project - and hats off to our incredible ecology and land teams for their continued work on the Habitat Bank where we've generated the Units. We're so thrilled to be contributing to ecosystem recovery and enabling development projects like these to go ahead. Link in the comments ⬇️

📅 Mark your calendars next week for our Biodiversity Net Gain webinar! Chaired by Real Estate Partner Helen Emmerson, we'll be looking at the mandatory biodiversity net gain ("BNG") regulations that took effect in January, and how these are impacting most new developments in England. We'll hear from our speakers: 📣 Ben Stansfield, Sustainability Partner at Gowling WLG 📣 Alexa Culver, General Counsel at the Environment Bank 📣 George Hall, Head of Solar at Conrad Energy 📣 Neil Beamsley, Group Head of Biodiversity for Bellway Homes 📅 Date: 9 July 2024 🕐 Time: 12:00-13:00 BST Book your spot now 👇 https://gowlg.co/3zuYhgp #BNG #BiodiversityNetGain #RealEstate #ESG

Introducing... our Whitby Habitat Bank in North Yorkshire. On the outskirts of Whitby, we’ve been creating a biodiverse restoration site across fifteen hectares of strategically selected land. From our Whitby Habitat Bank, we can offer developers off-site BNG habitats for their projects: 💧 Ponds 🌿 Mixed scrub 🌼 Lowland meadows We’ve been establishing wildflower meadows, native scrubland, and biodiverse ponds to provide a home for wildlife. Local species living nearby include salmon, eels, bats, otters, seals, and water voles and we’re keen for our habitat enhancements to help support them. The Habitat Bank includes fields that lie within the River Esk floodplain, and the habitats we’re installing are designed to provide a home for species of breeding and wintering birds under special conservation status. Part of our expanding network, the Whitby Habitat Bank offers local BNG delivery to the North Yorkshire Council LPA and the North York Moors and Cleveland Hills NCA, as well as adjacent delivery to two LPAs and four NCAs. https://lnkd.in/ecS-4Pen

📣 *IMPORTANT* new *biodiversity net gain* publication from the excellent PAS Team. Their template Section 106 Agreement for Biodiversity Net Gain has landed today. PAS has explained: "We are providing these templates for planners and council legal teams to modify according to their Council’s standards and the specific requirements of individual developments. Our aim is to support councils by providing a streamlined approach, enhancing efficiency in drafting agreements, and benefiting all stakeholders involved." We endorse PAS's Habitat Bank Template 106 (attached) and would welcome feedback and thoughts. (Link in comments:👇)

Our founder, Professor David Hill CBE, was nominated for the second time on the ENDS power list. What an incredible testament to David's work campaigning for the economic visibility of nature and the introduction of Biodiversity Net Gain to England's planning law. Congratulations David! https://lnkd.in/edEPJ7Sc

Biodiversity Units from our Habitat Banks are enabling Aldi UK development projects to go ahead nationwide, including a new store in Hampshire, and we're thrilled to have secured a national supply partnership with the supermarket chain to deliver BNG across Aldi's upcoming projects in England.   It's a credit to our dedicated ecology, land, planning and legal teams for helping build a broad national network of Habitat Banks so that we can offer agreements like this. Each site is uniquely tailored to meet the ecological needs of the local landscape, and we're delighted to say that we've already started achieving meaningful biodiversity gains across our Habitat Banks. Thanks to Aldi, this is a milestone for Environment Bank and demonstrates the benefits BNG can provide to biodiversity across England.

Well done team EB! 👟 40 km 🌋 1,133 meters 😰 12 hours At the weekend, members of the EB team took on the Edale Skyline Challenge, raising funds for Médecins Sans Frontières (MSF) and Magic Breakfast, two amazing organisations! Beth Baskerville-Muscutt, Ell Powell, Anya White, Cameron Chester, Tom Rothero, Thomas Dodds, Fraser Rutherford, Rob Wreglesworth, Liz Whitaker, Rachel Campbell, Hannah Tracey, George Offer, Sophie Watts, Adila Butt MCIPD, Zoe Dunnett and Ellie ( 🐶 ) – you were all incredible! Thank you to everyone who has donated – we are very near our £1,000 target, please do consider donating if you can: https://lnkd.in/eTcc96UF. Any ideas for next year's hike?

🏳️🌈 To celebrate pride month and international pride day, this morning our team welcomed a guest speaker Mike Darbyshire to share his story and experiences as a gay man working in various jobs and sectors over the past few decades.    The talk was part of our 'TEB talks' series where we are inviting a number of external speakers to talk about issues associated with our values and our mission.