An agreement has been signed by South Kesteven District Council and Boothby Wildland to provide developers with the option to buy habitat units to help them achieve their biodiversity net gain targets.
The Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) habitat bank will result in the natural restoration of 1,525 acres, which will feature diverse habitat types including scrubland, grassland, lowland meadow, woodland and ponds.
They will be created thanks to the signing of a s106 planning agreement with Boothby Wildland in Lincolnshire, operated by nature restoration company Nattergal.
This means that developers can purchase BNG credits where they can't achieve biodiversity net gain on site, with the proceeds invested in managing the nature reserve near Boothby Pagnell.
Boothby Wildland is former arable farmland in Lincolnshire, which has been gradually retreating from farming and preparing to let nature take the lead.
Cabinet Member for Environment, Cllr Rhys Baker, said: "This agreement is crucial to generate the funding required to support nature restoration at the Boothby site. This area will be transformed into vibrant habitats rich in biodiversity, benefiting local communities and ecosystems.
"The Environment Act demands that developers must deliver a BNG of 10% on new projects. They will need to show they have followed the Biodiversity Gain Hierarchy to take part in our initiative to protect natural habitats across South Kesteven.
"Working with Nattergal, we can now ensure that the benefits of BNG from new developments will remain in South Kesteven, as opposed to being used elsewhere - which is what may have happened without SKDC's forward-thinking action."
During the planning consent process, developers are first required to mitigate adverse biodiversity effects of their work by providing local green space or natural areas as part of their development site.
If they can't meet this requirement, environmental legislation requires the purchase of units off-site as part of planning permission. Boothby Wildland provides an opportunity for those biodiversity units and associated benefits to remain in South Kesteven.
The Nattergal vision for Boothby Wildland:
Once natural vegetation has a chance to re-establish, primarily through natural colonisation, free-roaming herbivores will be introduced to kickstart dynamic natural processes and drive ecosystem recovery.
Natural hydrology on the site will also be restored to further stimulate a dynamic, functioning ecosystem.
The aim is to create a more complex, interesting and beneficial landscape for people and wildlife alike.
For more information visit: www.nattergal.co.uk/boothby-wildland
Notes:
The s106 agreement is not a formal partnership with or endorsement by SKDC.
It has been signed because anywhere that is used for offsite Biodiversity Net Gain units is required under Schedule 7A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to be subject to a legal agreement that secures the management, maintenance and monitoring of the habitat enhancements that will result in the BNG units for a period of 30 years from completion of the habitat enhancement works.
The Council, as the Local Planning Authority therefore has monitoring and enforcement responsibilities in relation to the use of the land for providing BNG units.