Finding BNG Balance: The Coltham / Delancey Project Case Study
The team has just wrapped up a 15 month journey - learning valuable lessons - in our Biodiversity Net Gain project in Milton Keynes for Greenlight a JV between Coltham and Delancey.
The fundamental challenge is reconciling two different worlds:
1. Developers navigate complex, multi-year projects with numerous hurdles under time constraints to their viability
2. Rewilding requires 30-year commitments and substantial upfront investment
So if you are facing the need to deal with BNG - you have to confront and assess these different timelines and risk profiles.
Here’s some of the key lessons we learnt, working closely with our clients, Nattergal and their Boothby Wildland:
● Developers face significant timing and investment risks
● Purchasing the right units is surprisingly complex
● Habitat banks have their own considerable challenges
● The relationship between both parties is the true key to success
● Everyone is still interpreting what this legislation really means
After hundreds of conversations across the sector, one thing is clear: there is uncertainty.
When we started Biodiversity Units UK, we believed a simple tech platform would solve everything. We were so wrong! That's why we've instead shifted to provide an advisory service, as well as acquiring the BNG units.
The Coltham project taught us that success depends on actively managing relationships between stakeholders.
The key thing is confidence - a clear plan for certainty from this new legislation.