Famous Swinton Estate gets green light for investable habitat bank

The Swinton Estate has secured approval to turn 20 acres of its land into a habitat bank, which businesses can invest in to receive biodiversity net gain (BNG) credits.

North Yorkshire County Council has approved the proposal following work which began in 2023 to turn overgrazed land into a more biodiverse habitat through tree planting and improvements to grassland and hedgerows.

A spokesman said: “More birds, butterflies and insect life will be encouraged as well as improving the variety of moss, fungi and wildflowers. Walking paths have also been created to allow the local community to enjoy the new habitat. Thanks to this work, Swinton will be creating 55 habitat units, which are now available for businesses to invest in.”

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Iain Shelton, chief executive at Swinton Estate, said: “Swinton is one of the first to gain approval from the North Yorkshire planning authority for offsite BNG credits. This enables us to offer 55 habitat units to local house builders and developers to fulfil their bio-diversity requirements. We will continue to work with the LPA to now secure more environmental sites.”

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