LNT Marchwood Case Study: How Advisory Expertise Saved Money and Built Trust
Image provided by Environment Bank
When LNT Care Developments approached us for their care home project in Marchwood - in the New Forest - it marked the beginning of a strong long-term partnership.
This project, our first with LNT, perfectly demonstrates why our mission of providing "BNG Certainty" goes far beyond simply finding units.
“We find that all the team at Biodiversity Units UK are incredibly knowledgeable, approachable, and commercially aware of the challenges which developer’s can often face. They provide a very bespoke service to us and will competently guide our teams through every stage, from project negotiation through to transaction conclusion. Keep up the great work!”
Understanding Pre-Mandatory BNG Flexibility
The Marchwood project fell under ‘pre-mandatory BNG’ rules. As our founder Ian Hambleton explains, "anything that went through planning before 12th February 2024, was classified as pre-mandatory. This classification meant some of the rules are more flexible, essentially. It really is down to the LPA what they will or won't accept."
Recognising this flexibility became crucial to delivering value for our client.
Advisory First: Reducing Requirements Through Expert Negotiation
Rather than simply accepting the initial BNG requirement, we applied our process know-how to help LNT navigate the planning system more effectively. Working closely with their ecologist and the Local Planning Authority, we successfully negotiated the requirement down from a 10% BNG uplift to 1%.
This might seem counterintuitive - as Ian noted, "why would we as a unit broker try and help a client to do that? We will earn less money. However, this approach reflects our impartial advice commitment.”
Ian continues, "ultimately, this is all about the long game of building relationships and helping people out. This is why the advisory part of the business has been really important to us."
Market Sweep: Finding the Right Solution
With the reduced requirement established, we went out to market to understand all available options.
The market research revealed some interesting dynamics - while there was an in-NCA option available, but as Ian explains, "they were so overpriced that it was actually cheaper to use the adjoining NCA. We also encountered one BNG provider that told us they had units. But when we did all the due diligence and probed into it, they were nowhere near ready."
This due diligence process exemplifies why working with an experienced partner matters.
Choosing Quality and Reliability
Ultimately, Environment Bank were selected to deliver the off-site units for this project.
Ian says, “Environment Bank offered the best solution for our client and they were great to work with. They got us all through LPA negotiations and provided the required metrics and compliant paperwork to sail through approval of the clients planning condition. They were really easy to deal with. Professional, efficient and offered the best priced solution."
Our decision-making process considers multiple factors. Ian explains, "we look at all the different options and pick based on quality and provenance, unit price, what the LPAs are going to accept, project timelines and, how easy they're going to be to deal with."
Environment Bank said:
“We were delighted to supply Biodiversity Units for LNT’s project and support their care home development in the New Forest which will provide a new accessible residence for local people.
The off-site Biodiversity Units we supplied were generated at our Witchampton Habitat Bank, an almost 90-acre BNG site that was designed by our own in-house team of qualified ecologists who will continue to monitor it for the next three decades.
Our dedicated team of land managers are working closely with the local landowner, creating an adaptive habitat management plan that will ensure that biodiversity gains are delivered as anticipated.
Alongside the grassland habitat type purchased by LNT, this vast Habitat Bank is also home to new lowland meadows, floodplain wetland mosaic and coastal floodplain grazing marsh (CFGM), rivers and streams, ditches, mixed scrub, and species-rich native hedgerow – all established by our own habitat creation specialists.
Part of our expanding national BNG network, Witchampton Habitat Bank has been secured for BNG by our in-house legal team under a conservation covenant with RSK Wilding and has been formally listed on Natural England’s biodiversity gain sites register.
We look forward to working with both LNT Care Developments and Biodiversity Units UK again on future projects.”
The Foundation of a Strong Partnership
This successful project became the start of a relationship where we're now doing multiple projects with LNT. Ian comments, “LNT have since become repeat clients, with four, five, maybe even six projects on the go at any one time, as they build care homes up and down the country every year."
Key Lessons: Beyond Simple Unit Procurement
Ian concludes, “the Marchwood project reinforced that there's more than meets the eye with these things, you can't just receive a DEFRA metric and quote and that's it. You've got to really be assisting that client; working with the LPA and the ecologist to make sure you're getting the best deal for the developer.”
This case study demonstrates how our comprehensive approach - combining advisory expertise with market access - delivers the best price BNG with guaranteed results that forms our core promise to clients.
If you want a team committed to a long term relationship with you, then contact us today
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