Biodiversity Net Gain
When the property sector was still grappling with mitigating environmental harm in development, we were busy pioneering a start-to-finish biodiversity net gain solution.
Pioneering an ahead-of-its-time biodiversity net gain solution for the development industry
It was the first biodiversity offsetting scheme of its kind in the UK. Since 2012, we’ve advised on net gain for projects delivering a total of 25,000 homes and 15m sq ft of business space, with a GDV of £15bn.
Wildlife habitat creation was once seen as peripheral to the development process. Another complex problem to put on the long list of complex problems to be solved during planning.
It’s still complex but having a credible biodiversity plan for your scheme is becoming integral to securing permission and maximising end values.
It a legal requirement to deliver a 10% net gain during development. Some forward-thinking local authorities across the Oxford to Cambridge Arc are demanding 15%.
To pull together cost-effective and credible solutions, you need a close familiarity with ecology objectives, encyclopaedic land market knowledge and the contractual expertise to secure the right type of land interest
Service options
Sourcing opportunities
Finding opportunities before other buyers is where development value lies. After more than 180 years in our markets, we know how and where to access the opportunities most worth pursuing.
Site and option analysis
Your site has prospects, but only after its opportunities and constraints have been uncovered can you spot potential problems and turn them to your advantage.
Strategic planning advice
Creative planning advice at an early stage of the development process helps you spot value where others may not see it, opening opportunities and creating value.
Financial modelling
Fully maximising your development returns and accurately modelling your cash flow requires bags of experience. Getting the correct numbers out means putting the right information in.
Development funding
We structure and agree creative development funding deals, sourced within our long-established global investor networks, helping you offset risk and maximise your profitability.
Pre-letting and leasing
By leveraging our on-the-pulse market insight into what national and international occupiers need from their space and business locations, you can align your proposals to fund and develop with confidence.
Affordable housing and viability
The scheme looks fantastic and ticks all the boxes, but can someone deliver it? Fully understanding the viability of your scheme from an early stage ensures it will be.
Land assembly
Big is beautiful. By joining forces with neighbouring landowners or buying more land you can be more ambitious with your proposals, generating higher returns than you might going it alone.
Phasing and disposal
You need to know when the money will start coming in and how quickly. Our local understanding gauges the market’s likely absorption rate and builds a phasing strategy to suit.
Project management
Our project managers provide detailed benchmarking data from a broad portfolio of completed projects, allowing developers to make informed decisions.
Biodiversity Net Gain in Development

Incoming legislation demands a 10% gain in biodiversity on all new development schemes in England. Environmental enhancement is no longer a ‘nice-to-have’ – it’s mandatory.