BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN

Biodiversity enhancement and net gain are rising priorities for both business and society. We’re proud to offer a variety of ecosystem services across our UK sites that can help businesses BE nature positive.

High-integrity bng units for developers?

As an outcome of the 2021 Environment Act, Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) is now a legal requirement for developers to deliver a minimum 10% gain in biodiversity from pre-development levels as a condition of planning approval in England.

At Belmont, we go beyond compliance, offering high-integrity, off-site BNG units from our nature restoration project at Watercress Farm, enabling measurable biodiversity uplift with long-term ecological security.

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why partner with us?

In addition to BNG units, we offer a commitment to habitat restoration, ecological integrity, and social value through community engagement, education, volunteering and brand value.

 


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verified and registered

All 372 units are legally secured with a Conservation Covenant on the Biodiversity Gain Sites register (with reference BGS-200225002) for a minimum period of 30 years.

 


TRUSTED EXPERTS

Our units are overseen by a team of skilled ecologists and habitat restoration specialists.

 


belmont_woodland

rich HABITAT variety

Belmont’s BNG units are generated from our rewilding project at Watercress Farm, a 140-acre habitat bank in North Somerset.

Due to the breadth of habitat available within the rewilding project, we can offer 12 different habitat unit types in one place. These range from lowland meadow, mixed scrub, woodland, hedgerow, priority pond, river units and more.


Rewetting project

LPA’S and NCA’s

 

Our rewilding project, Watercress Farm is situated within:

North Somerset LPA
  1. The site is adjacent to 4 other LPAs including Bristol, Bath and North East Somerset, Mendip and Sedgemoor LPAs (see map).
Bristol, Avon Valleys and Ridges NCA
  1. The site is adjacent to 4 other NCAs including Somerset Levels and Moors, Mendip Hills, Cotswolds and Severn and Avon Vales (see map).).

The BNG metric recognises proximity to development sites through a ‘Spatial Risk Multiplier‘. The closer the offset site is to the development, the fewer BNG units are required.


HOW IT WORKS

Why offset offsite?

Genuine biodiversity enhancement is the delivery of nature restoration at a scale that works for our natural world and that can be verified and trusted for the long term.

Habitats and wildlife communities often require connection and scale to be viable and this isn’t possible to deliver on the average development site. We believe that portioning green space for biodiversity into small areas within individual developments and leaving it in the care of people who may not be qualified, is a risk to both biodiversity and the integrity of the developer’s offset.


MORE THAN BNG

For us, BNG is another way for us to deliver on restoration, regeneration and reconnection, ensuring nature recovery is led by experts and has the most impact possible.

We deliver more than a biodiversity uplift. Our BNG units are unique as they also provide powerful reputational and wider community benefits for education, volunteering and nature restoration, that demonstrate commitment to social and environmental responsibility to a developer’s full range of stakeholders.


 

START YOUR BNG JOURNEY

Our units are available to purchase now for projects within five South West LPAs and five South West NCAs.

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“The Belmont Team have been a delight to work with. They managed to fulfil our complicated BNG unit requirement and completed our Biodiversity Metric with a very quick turnaround.”

SOUTH WEST UTILITY COMPANY

“We were thrilled to support Belmont in establishing their Biodiversity Net Gain conservation covenant. Their plans for the land go beyond the usual approach to BNG compliance, embracing a long-term vision for rewilding that includes the local community. It’s an inspiring example of how conservation can generate both ecological and social value.”

RSK WILDING

“The rewilding project at Belmont Estate is a great example of how a business can provide ecosystem services to help others be nature positive. I had the pleasure of being shown around the rewilding and rewetting site. What a project and a vision for offsetting and biodiversity enhancement.”

RESIDENTIAL LAND & DEVELOPMENT, JLL

Carbon CREDITS

We are working on a range of nature recovery projects to lock away carbon through peatland restoration and natural tree regeneration, plus we’ll soon be offering UK based carbon credits to individuals and businesses looking to lower their carbon footprint and achieve net zero targets by 2030.

As demand for carbon is expected to outreach supply by 2030, priority purchase of our carbon credits will be offered to our corporate partners before being available to others.


SUPPORT OUR PROJECTS

We are not a broker of nature or carbon solutions. Our nature restoration projects are our own, allowing us to guarantee their values and integrity.

Our land, our projects.

 

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