| Geography | Spatial Risk Multiplier | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Braintree (primary LPA) | 1.0 — same LPA | Most favourable: no unit uplift required |
| NCA 86 (primary) | 1.0 — same NCA | Most favourable: no unit uplift required |
| Adjacent LPAs (13 total) | 0.75 | 25% unit uplift. Includes Cambridge, Chelmsford, Colchester, East Herts, West Suffolk, Huntingdonshire, Tendring, North Essex, Bishops Stortford |
Biodiversity Units — Available Now
Registered Biodiversity Net Gain units immediately available
We have dedicated areas within the Ecological Landscape Plan for Biodiversity Net Gain off-site provision, so if you need to purchase BNG Units now or in the future please contact us
| Gain Site Ref | Status | Habitat type | Registered Units |
|---|---|---|---|
| BGS-120925001 | Registered | Species-rich native hedgerow | 2.79 |
| Species-rich native hedgerow with trees | 2.56 | ||
| Other woodland; broadleaved | 4.46 | ||
| Other neutral grassland | 39.96 | ||
| Rural tree | 0.62 | ||
| Mixed scrub | 25.13 | ||
| Phase 2 pipeline | Pre-registration | - **High distinctiveness (indicative)** - Native broadleaved woodland - Wood pasture / parkland - Traditional orchard - Hedgerow restoration and new hedgerows (winter 2023/24 planted) - Pond restoration (incl. ghost ponds) and new pond creation - Floodplain wetland mosaic (beaver-led) — Finchingfield Brook; beaver enclosure consents and NE licence in place | |
| - **Medium distinctiveness (indicative)** - Grassland mosaic - Mixed scrub / successional | |||
| - **Watercourse (separate metric)** - Baseline river units (MoRPh / River Metric 3.1.1; beaver enclosure): **20.40 RBUs** at baseline — watercourse unit yield calculable under dynamic habitats guidance for beaver-created habitats is available for future offtake. | |||
| Indicative pipeline | ~450units |
We can supply area habitat units, hedgerow units, and have watercourse unit pipeline in development. Buyers requiring specific habitat types, quantities, or phasing should contact us directly.
All units are registered against a 30-year Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP). Unit availability and type breakdown are confirmed against statutory metric assessments registered with Natural England.
Biodiversity Units for Water Companies and Infrastructure Providers
Water utilities and infrastructure operators delivering capital programmes under regulatory frameworks — including PR24 and A-WINEP — frequently require off-site biodiversity units to fulfil statutory BNG obligations where on-site mitigation is not feasible. Spains Hall Estate is positioned to support these requirements:
Essex & Suffolk, Anglian and Affinity Water operating areas
Our gain sites sit within Braintree LPA and NCA 86 (South Suffolk and North Essex Claylands), within the core ESW, Anglian & Affinity geography. This means we can provide same-LPA supply (spatial risk multiplier 1.0) and adjacent-NCA supply (multiplier 0.75) — the most favourable positions for buyers.
Habitat types
We can supply area habitat units and hedgerow units from registered sites, with watercourse units in pipeline development.
Commercial flexibility
Working with Great Yellow and Ceres Property we can discuss staged draw-down arrangements, option agreements, volume pricing, and multi-year supply frameworks suited to utility procurement timescales.
Track record and governance
Our project has operated since 2019 under an experienced ecological team, supported by a 30-year HMMP registered with Natural England. We are one of only five national BNG Credits pilot sites.
Spains Hall Estate is a registered off-site BNG provider under the Environment Act 2021.
We have two gain sites registered on the Natural England Biodiversity Gain Site Register, with units immediately available and a pipeline of over 500 BNG units across three phases.
We are ideally placed to serve developers, infrastructure operators, and utilities — including water companies delivering capital programmes — across 12 LPAs and 7 NCAs stretching from the Thames estuary to Norwich and Cambridge.
View our Gain Site Registrations here
Latest news
In the Essex uplands, close to the towns of Haverhill, Saffron Walden and Braintree the estate exists as an oasis containing ancient woodland, wetland areas and sensitive agriculture.
Equidistant from Cambridge, Colchester and Chelmsford, and within easy reach of Stansted Airport, the M11, A14 and A120 we are within one of the key growth and infrastructure development areas of the county, including the wider impact zone of East-West Rail and OxCam Arc.
The estate has been working for the environment for many years, with government funded Countryside Stewardship schemes in place for over 30 years. We have retained and planted hedges, planted new woodland and helped others to plant woodland at the same time (we ran a native tree nursery for over 30 years).
Having worked with Atkins since 2018 we understand the needs of developers, infrastructure projects and corporates so can tailor solutions to fit a diverse set of corporate needs. As the landowner and project deliverer we build direct relationships, meaning we can be responsive, pragmatic and accountable.
We have BNG units available immediately from our habitat bank, with two additional phases over the next 24 months generating a total of over 500 BNUs. Our project is in line with the Essex Climate Action Commissions’ Land Use and Green Infrastructure Recommendations, Braintree District Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Biodiversity Action Plan. All work is in line with the NPPF, 25 Year Environment Plan, Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework.
We have led the application of nature-based approaches to climate and biodiversity recovery by
reintroducing beavers, in a project
that won the national
CIEEM Best Practice – Small Scale Nature Conservation Award in 2022.
BNG is a key component, but our model goes well beyond offsetting, with opportunities for wider voluntary Environmental and Social Impact, risk reduction, water and climate resilience, and sustainable agriculture.
Our project is in line with the Essex Climate Action Commissions’ Land Use and Green Infrastructure Recommendations, Braintree District Council’s Climate Change Strategy and Biodiversity Action Plan. All work is in line with the NPPF, 25 Year Environment Plan, Green Finance Strategy and Nature Markets Framework.
As one of only 5 national Biodiversity Net Gain Credits pilot sites we are at the forefront of this ground-breaking legislation to ensure developments contribute towards biodiversity gain.
In 2022 we embarked on an ambitious 50+ year programme of habitat creation of a large area of biodiversity-focused land management change. Working with Natural England allows us to generate around 500 high quality BNG units, suitable for use in both mandatory and voluntary markets.
We are keen to speak to developers and others wishing to secure long-lasting, high quality, innovative biodiversity impact.
Local Planning Authorities &
National Character Areas for BNG
Our project areas are situated within:
Braintree District LPA (Gain Site LPA)
Adjacent Local Planning Authorities (LPAs), Spatial risk multiplier 0.75
- Uttlesford District Council
- Colchester City Council
- Chelmsford City Council
- Maldon District Council
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
- West Suffolk Council
- Babergh District Council
South Suffolk and North Essex Claylands NCA 86 (Gain site NCA)
Adjacent NCAs, Spatial risk multiplier 0.75
- NCA 82 - Suffolk Coast and Heaths
- NCA 83 — South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands (to the north-east)
- NCA 85 — The Brecks (to the north-west)
- NCA 87 — East Anglian Chalk (to the west)
- NCA 111 — Northern Thames Basin (to the south and south-west)
- NCA 110 — Chilterns (to the west)
Essex Local Nature Recovery Strategy area (Gain Site LNRS)
Greater Essex LNRS (34), led by Essex County Council. Published July 2025.
Adjacent LNRS areas (those whose boundaries touch Greater Essex):
- Suffolk LNRS (28) — Suffolk County Council (Published)
- Cambridgeshire and Peterborough LNRS (26) — Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Combined Authority (Published)
- Hertfordshire LNRS (33) — Hertfordshire County Council (Published)
- Greater London LNRS (39) — Greater London Authority (Published)
- Bedfordshire LNRS (32) — Central Bedfordshire Council (Published)
Live NCA interactive map - check your site location (Natural England)
The BNG metric recognises proximity to development sites through a 'Spatial Risk Multiplier'. The closer the offset site is to the development, the fewer BNG units are required.
- Offsite offsets within the same LPA are worth 1.0 (i.e. you'll need the same number of units as if you were mitigating on-site)
- Offsite units sourced within LPAs or NCAs adjacent to the development site become worth 0.75 (so you need an extra 25% of units to mitigate on-site losses)
- Offsite units sourced further afield are only worth 0.5 (meaning you'll need 2 units for every one lost on-site).
Voluntary Biodiversity & ESG
As our work delivers far more than just mandatory BNG units we are keen to work with organisations from all sectors who have an interest in supporting us, whilst also delivering on their own aspirations to leave the world a better place.
Our BNG offer is structured and marketed by Great Yellow (greatyellow.earth), a specialist nature investment advisory and market-making firm. Great Yellow provides buyers with technical due diligence support, metric verification, and contract structuring, and can facilitate introductions across a broader portfolio of registered BNG sites where supply diversity or geographic coverage is required.