VISION FOR BIODIVERSITY IN SUSSEX
We Are Passionate Front Runners In The Creation Of UK Biodiversity.
We aim to become an exemplary landscape restoration project not just in Sussex but the whole of the UK, creating new habitats across 1200ha of farmland in the South Downs National Park, funded by the sale of Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) Units for developers.
By 2025, our biodiversity restoration project will have restored habitat and created space for nature, allowing our plethora of species to expand over the whole Iford Estate, whilst still retaining food production over the most fertile land, and allowing organisations of all sizes to meet their BNG obligations.
OUR BIODIVERSITY SOLUTIONS
We have two ways that developers or businesses in Sussex and
further afield can get involved with the Iford Biodiversity Project
1. BNG Units For Developers
BNG Units for Sale covering Sussex and Beyond.
Biodiversity Net Gain will become mandatory for developers of virtually all types of development from January 2024. In the meantime, many local authorities are requiring that developers demonstrate Net Gain and incorporate biodiversity net gain planning into their projects prior to that date.
Having done our baseline surveys and Metric calculations in 2021 and 2022, we have now negotiated and completed an innovative Section 106 agreement with The South Downs National Park Authority. We have secured our first phase of Biodiversity creation, encompassing 32 hectares of grass and scrubland, generating 211 Biodiversity Gain units.
The grassland was sown in Spring 2023 and the scrub will be planted early in 2024. With the accompanying “Allocation Agreement”. we are now uniquely placed to be able to offer developers immediate access to BNG units. Our unique service offers a simple transaction that will satisfy the needs of your Local Planning Authority, backed by The South Downs National Park Authority, and allow you to meet your Biodiversity Net Gain requirements, regardless of your location.
2. Biodiversity Offsetting in Sussex
For companies looking to offset some of their environmental impact, we are developing Biodiversity Offsets for sale. Following a similar process to our BNG Units, we will create a habitat that will be verified and measured using a selection of metrics. Improvements in these metrics over time will result in us being able to offer Biodiversity Credits for sale, available to a range of organisations.
We are currently applying for accreditation with Plan Vivo and The Biodiversity Credits Company, and working closely with The South Downs National Park to develop new agreements that will allow companies to satisfy their ESG (Environmental and Social Governance) requirements.
We are actively seeking businesses that are prepared to work with us to develop the agreements that will underpin this exciting new market and to be one of the first to purchase verifiable UK-based Biodiversity Credits. Please get in touch if this is of interest.
WHY IFORD BIODIVERSITY PROJECT
A Different Approach
To Biodiversity
We want our Biodiversity scheme to be the very best it can be, not just in Sussex but the whole UK. We want it to make a difference and to be a vital component of environmental net gain. We’ve taken great care to plan what it will look like and what its effect on our landscape, environment and community will be.
By the same token, we want to work with developers and investors who take the same approach to their business or development and take their biodiversity net gain planning seriously. Before we accept investment we conduct thorough due diligence on the prospective purchaser to ensure they meet our high standards.
We are proud to be working in partnership with
The South Downs National Park
"Currently 25% of the National Park is managed for nature. By 2030, working with a strong partnership of farmers, land managers, communities and a wide range of partners we will deliver 33% of land managed for nature and encourage the remaining 67% to be nature friendly."