Council helps to establish new habitat bank at Pudlicote Farm
West Oxfordshire District Council is set to work with partners to create a habitat bank at Pudlicote Farm near Chipping Norton in a big step forwards for protecting local nature. This initiative supports the government's Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) policy, introduced in February 2024, which requires developers to enhance biodiversity by at least 10% for new projects.
Councillor Hugo Ashton, Executive Member for Planning, stated, "This habitat bank at Pudlicote Farm is a significant step towards preserving and enhancing our local biodiversity.
“We wholeheartedly support the recent changes to planning laws that require developers to provide a positive benefit for biodiversity as part of any new plans. If they can’t achieve that on the site they are developing they will be able to support biodiversity in the district through this habitat bank.
“By collaborating with local landowners in this way, we can ensure that developments contribute positively to our environment. Not only will this create new and improved habitats for wildlife, but it will also support cleaner air and water, improve flood resilience, and provide a healthier natural environment for local residents to enjoy. It's a win for nature and for our communities."
Habitat banks allow developers to meet the 10% net gain in biodiversity by funding habitat creation and enhancement projects. The Pudlicote Farm project will generate biodiversity units registered with Natural England, which developers can purchase to meet their BNG obligations. They will only be able to do this if they have considered all options on the development site in question first.
The habitat banks allow the creation of new diverse habitats, including wildflower meadows, native woodlands, and wetland areas. These habitats will support a variety of wildlife, enhance ecosystem services, and contribute to the district's nature recovery efforts.
Where farmland is used to create and enhance habitats for biodiversity, the land is often low productivity meaning farmers have additional routes to make use of the land and generate income.
Similar initiatives have demonstrated positive outcomes. For instance, the Emberton Habitat Bank in Buckinghamshire has created diverse habitats, enhancing local biodiversity and providing landowners with a stable income. Additionally, the Horwich Habitat Bank near Bolton created 49 hectares of thriving natural habitats, supporting wildlife and securing the farm's future.
The Council is also seeking to streamline the process for future habitat banks so that more can be created across the district in future.
Brad Wickens, landowner, said, “The transformation of part of Pudlicote Farm, one prone to flooding, into a habitat bank, marks a significant ecological enhancement. We are establishing water meadows, wetlands, and wildflower meadows, creating a diverse habitat on previously unproductive land and we are witnessing a resurgence of wildlife across the entire farm.
“This initiative will substantially benefit local wildlife and the wider ecosystem. It also provides valuable visual amenity for our local villages. This wouldn't have been possible without the dedication and hard work of the large number of people involved in the project.”
Ben Heaven Taylor from the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment: “This project is a vital step towards nature recovery in Oxfordshire and towards the government’s ‘30-by-30' biodiversity target. It’s also a great example of an effective partnership between charitable bodies and a pioneering local landowner.
“The project is the vision of the landowner, Brad Wickens, who is passionate about restoring the landscape to a pre-arable state, including a full transition of natural and native habitats from the river, across the floodplain and up valley sides. The project design works with natural processes, using existing topography and existing sources of water to develop the most sustainable and naturally functioning landscape system as possible, that can adapt and evolve with long term climatic and landscape changes.
“This site will provide developers with local options to meet their planning obligations, which has multiple benefits for all parties, keeping the biodiversity gains within the planning authority, contributing to the Local Nature Recovery Strategy and providing income to land managers; keeping sustainable land management front and centre in the county.”