How Heronby could improve biodiversity

It has long been an ambition in the UK that any new developments should, where possible, produce a biodiversity net gain.

When the latest Environment Bill which is making its way through Parliament becomes law, it is highly likely that it will create a legal requirement for new developments to demonstrate at least a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain. [1]

But what is biodiversity net gain, and how can it be delivered?

Biodiversity means all the different kinds of life which can be found in one place: the plants, animals, fungi and even micro-organisms in the soil. These are, of course, all connected in a myriad of ways and human life, like all life, depends on biodiversity.

If projects are to produce a net gain in biodiversity, first the existing biodiversity must be fully understood and measured with reports from expert ecologists. Once a baseline has been established, improvements can then be planned and compared to this measure, and the net gain calculated.

A new standard metric for measuring net gain was launched by Natural England in July this year, called Biodiversity Metric 3.0. [2]

Tony Juniper, chair of Natural England, said: “Investing in Nature’s recovery is a vital national priority. These innovative new tools will help advance that ambition via the development planning process, ensuring we leave the natural environment - both terrestrial and marine - in a measurably better state than it was before.

“As well as benefiting nature, biodiversity net gain can also give greater access to nature where people live and work, and can streamline the planning process by objectively and transparently quantifying any losses and gains in biodiversity.”

People often object to development on agricultural land for environmental reasons, but the biodiversity of land which has been intensively farmed for generations can be surprisingly low: a report for the UK Parliament in April 2021 was blunt, stating: “the production of crops and livestock is a major driver of biodiversity loss.” [3]

Because the great majority of the site for Heronby is agricultural land, there is a lot of potential to improve the biodiversity of the site overall while still allowing space for homes and businesses and the infrastructure its residents will need.

Planning new communities, rather than a large number of smaller scattered developments, also results in more effectively interconnected environments, further improving the benefits they bring.

As the Heronby land use plan shows, a large amount of the site will be dedicated to green and recreational spaces. Development will be set within an interconnected system of green spaces, taking advantage of the site’s existing mature woodland and accommodating topography. New, native trees and shrubs will be planted, helping to create a much more natural environment where native plants and animals can thrive.

Most of Heron Wood, at the heart of the site for Heronby, is classed as a Plantation on Ancient Woodland Site (PAWS), and this would be protected.

Estates such as Escrick are able to offer further biodiversity enhancements off-site, unlike some other landowners who focus purely on development rather than on building communities.

Potential improvements on Estate land close to Heronby could include new wildflower meadows, reinstated water bodies and lowland meadows, further increasing the biodiversity net gain associated with the new community.

How Heronby could improve biodiversity

It has long been an ambition in the UK that any new developments should, where possible, produce a biodiversity net gain.

When the latest Environment Bill which is making its way through Parliament becomes law, it is highly likely that it will create a legal requirement for new developments to demonstrate at least a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain. [1]

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