Groundbreaking agreement with farm in South Downs National Park will bring boost for nature

Thirty one hectares of land – almost 100 football pitches – at Iford Estate, in East Sussex, have been signed over for nature recovery.

The large swathe of downland is the first to appear on the National Park Authority’s register of land that is formally dedicated for “Biodiversity Net Gain” (BNG) provision. It comes as new planning reforms will make BNG a legal requirement.

Nick Heasman, Countryside and Policy Manager at the National Park, said: “This is a major step forward for the National Park’s ReNature initiative, which is looking to create 13,000 hectares of new habitat to help wildlife flourish.

“Biodiversity loss and climate change are two of the biggest long-term issues facing our country and this innovative scheme at Iford will kickstart a regional recovery that will benefit both nature and local communities.”

Biodiversity Net Gain is an approach to development that aims to leave the natural environment in a “measurably better” state than it was beforehand. It can include planting trees and creating new areas for animals to live such as ponds, hedgerows and meadows.

Nick added: “We want to be very clear that this is not about incentivising more development in and around the National Park. This innovative scheme will ensure that the sustainable development that does take place over the next decade will benefit nature and people locally, funneling private investment into the places where it’s needed most.”

From January next year developers in England will be required to deliver 10% “Biodiversity Net Gain” when building new housing, industrial or commercial developments. This means by law they must deliver a net positive for the local environment, for example by creating new habitats and green spaces.

The 31 hectares is just the start for the Iford estate. The 1,200ha estate, near Lewes, has an ambitious 30-year landscape-scale vision with nature recovery at its heart, using BNG as the main vehicle for securing the necessary investment.

The ‘Iford Biodiversity Project’ will ultimately see about 800ha of land permanently dedicated to nature recovery, involving the generation of about 3,000 biodiversity units.

The plan involves the creation of floodplain grazing marsh to provide habitat for breeding and overwintering waders, species-rich grassland for rare plants, insects and mammals, as well as tree planting on parts of the farm to link up with existing woodland.

The National Park Authority hopes that other major landowners may follow suit and dedicate areas for BNG.

Developers can also now get in touch with the National Park Authority to purchase biodiversity units.

The National Park’s brokerage service, officially called “ReNature Credits”, hopes to connect landowners and developers to create areas of land for nature recovery.

Iford Estate Manager Ben Taylor said: “We will increase the diversity of species over the whole estate, whilst still retaining food production as the principal land use on the most fertile land.”

To acquire credits or to get in touch with the National Park’s team delivering ReNature Credits, visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/renature-credits/

To see a detailed FAQ explaining the scheme, visit www.southdowns.gov.uk/renature-credits/faqs/