Latest news with #BiodiversityNetGain
Finextra
11-07-2025
- Business
- Finextra
Oxygen Conservation and Burges Salmon announce £1 million partnership for 8,000 UK-based carbon cred
Leading natural capital asset manager Oxygen Conservation and independent UK law firm Burges Salmon have announced the signing of a landmark partnership valued at up to £1 million. As part of the agreement, Burges Salmon will be the exclusive buyer of up to 8,000 premium-quality, UK-based carbon credits which will be provided at £125 per tonne. 0 This content is provided by an external author without editing by Finextra. It expresses the views and opinions of the author. Funding one of the UK's most ambitious nature restoration projects on the beautiful Leighon Estate in Dartmoor, Devon, the partnership demonstrates an important shift in how the voluntary carbon market operates - moving from transactional offsets to transformative investments that deliver measurable environmental and social benefits. Importantly, the credits generated by this project go far beyond simply sequestering carbon, they are designed to deliver deep, lasting ecological value, connecting with a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) scheme to form larger, more resilient ecosystems. Rich Stockdale, CEO of Oxygen Conservation, comments: 'Selling our first carbon credits to Burges Salmon marks not just a milestone for Oxygen Conservation, but a defining moment for natural capital markets. Burges Salmon has an established reputation in sustainability and their commitment to environmental integrity, their extensive due diligence, and their deep alignment with our values make them the perfect partner. In a space too often clouded by criticism, this deal is a clear signal; when carbon credits are underpinned by quality, transparency, and genuine impact, the market responds with conviction. This isn't just a transaction - it's proof that natural capital is no longer an emerging opportunity. It's an investable, valuable, and scalable asset class whose time has come.' Ross Fairley, Burges Salmon's new Senior Partner and a long-time leader in environmental and clean energy law, adds: 'This partnership is about helping to set a new standard for how organisations like ourselves engage with nature and lead with purpose. We have a long heritage of demonstrating that you can be a top law firm as well as a responsible business. We know clients and our people increasing value this approach. We're proud to be working with Oxygen Conservation to build a model that others can learn from, replicate, and be inspired by.' Setting the standard for premium quality credits, financing real climate and nature solutions With credits registered under the UK Woodland Carbon Code and independently validated by the Soil Association, Oxygen Conservation uses innovative drone-based monitoring systems to ensure high transparency and buyer assurance. The credits purchased by Burges Salmon will be generated through large-scale nature restoration and native woodland creation on the Leighon Estate. This 861-acre estate is owned by The Dixon Foundation, a UK registered charity, and managed by Oxygen Conservation. In furtherance of the charity's objectives the project forms part of a long-term effort to restore the ancient Atlantic rainforest, regenerating one of the UK's most precious and biodiverse ecosystems through a blend of natural regeneration and targeted tree planting. With an absolute carbon reduction target in place, approved by the Science-Based Targets Initiative, Burges Salmon recognises that carbon reduction is its number one priority. However, as the firm transitions to Net Zero it wants to address its residual emissions through a meaningful carbon partnership that will deliver significant benefit to environment and nature. How the carbon partnership works Together, Burges Salmon and Oxygen Conservation are demonstrating what meaningful, values-led collaboration can achieve, setting a new standard for integrity, transparency, and lasting environmental impact in the carbon market. This includes:
BBC News
18-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Wild orchid flourishing in woodland near Ardingly in West Sussex
A company creating "habitat banks", spaces designed to increase biodiversity, says it hopes that a rare orchid species found growing at its site in West Sussex will spread to neighbouring part of its work delivering habitat restoration in line with the government's Biodiversity Net Gain policy, Environment Bank manages a stretch of woodland near was there that a thriving population of early purple orchids, with links to both Shakespeare and Christianity, has been Dodds, associate ecologist at Environment Bank, has spoken glowingly about this "beautiful find". "They're quite strongly associated with ancient habitat bank that we have at Ardingly encompasses a small strip of ancient woodland and that's where we found the orchids," he told BBC Radio Dodds explained that the company created "colonisation points" in the hope of expanding this habitat is part of the wider aim of restoring habitats - in this case, an orchid which remains quite, albeit not "wildly", Bank's work is funded by the Biodiversity Net Gain policy which requires developers to achieve a 10% minimum biodiversity net gain on any Dodds said: "If the company can't deliver the biodiversity net gain on the site that they're developing, then we take the money from them and deliver habitats which are then secured for 30 years on our habitat banks."While rare in modern times, this orchid is mentioned in Shakespeare's Hamlet and also has an association with Christianity."They were believed to be the orchid that grew at the bottom of Christ's meant that they've got little spots on their leaves, and that was thought to be from the drops of blood from the crucifixion," added Mr Dodds.
Yahoo
13-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Firm could get planning permission for storage units
RETROSPECTIVE planning permission for 19 modular containers/buildings for storage at a Kendal business park could be granted next week despite objections from the town council. Members of Westmorland & Furness Council's south Lakeland local area planning committee are due to meet on Thursday (June 19) at Kendal Town Hall to consider the matter. The application is for a site at Kendal Fell Business Park, Boundary Bank Lane, and Lakeland Self Storage has also applied for planning permission for seven unit mounted lights. The application is recommended for approval subject to conditions and the report states: 'The modular storage buildings measure 6m x 3m with a total height of 2.7m. 'The lighting proposal has been amended to remove the two columns and include the installation of 7 new unit mounted lights. The lights would have a maximum height of 2.7 metres compared to the previous 6m high proposal.' According to the report the site comprises of a secure commercial compound located north of Underbarrow Road which is accessed via Boundary Bank Lane. It states: 'The site lies on the western edge of the settlement of Kendal and is bound by the Underbarrow Road to the south, the wider business park to the north and east and the residential property of Foxdale to the west. There are also residential properties along Marble Crescent to the south on the opposite side of Underbarrow Road.' However, Kendal Town Council has raised a material objection to the current application and, in its initial response, a spokesman said: 'The committee would require a larger number of lower lighting columns in order to comply with the Dark Skies Policy. 'Also, the committee notes residents' comments regarding potential noise from generators and would require further information on this. 'The committee disagrees with the argument for Biodiversity Net Gain exemption, as this application is current, and the fact that the development was built without planning permission is irrelevant in this case. 'Notwithstanding this opinion, should planning permission be given, then the committee would like to restrict hours of lighting as suggested in principle within the application, specifically from dusk to 11pm. 'In addition, the committee expresses disappointment in the retrospective nature of the application.' In the final response, following amended details with a lowered lighting scheme and new planting proposal, the spokesman raised another material objection. They said: 'The committee does not see a significant improvement from the previous iteration of this application and reiterates its earlier comments. 'In particular, the questions formerly raised with regard to generator noise have not been addressed.'
Yahoo
09-06-2025
- Business
- Yahoo
Half of SME housebuilders ‘to be bust by next election', report to warn
Half of Britain's 2,500 remaining smaller housebuilders could crash into insolvency by the end of this parliament as a consequence of the cost of industry regulations, a report will warn this week. Sky News has seen a document to be published on Tuesday - ahead of the government's spending review - which will refer to "a perfect storm of costs" that threatens to wipe out the profits of SME housebuilders. The bleak forecast is the principal conclusion of a report produced jointly by the public affairs firm WPI Strategy and ChamberlainWalker, an economics consultancy specialising in housing and planning. It casts a fresh shadow over the government's target of building 1.5m homes during the course of this parliament - one of its most important manifesto commitments ahead of last year's landslide victory. Money latest: On Monday, ministers said the use of a new artificial intelligence tool would facilitate the acceleration of planning permissions by reducing the reliance on paper documents. "For too long, our outdated planning system has held back our country- slowing down the development of vital infrastructure and making it harder to get the homes we need built," Sir Keir Starmer said. "This government is working hand in hand with business to change that. With [new AI tool] Extract, we're harnessing the power of AI to help planning officers cut red tape, speed up decisions, and unlock the new homes for hard-working people as part of our Plan for Change. "It's a bold step forward in our mission to build 1.5 million more homes and deliver a planning system that's fit for the 21st century." The WPI/ChamberlainWalker report will warn, however, that at the current rate of failure among SME builders, as many as 75,000 fewer homes would be built by smaller housebuilders before the next general election is due to be held in 2029. It will say that recently introduced regulations such as the Building Safety Levy have added close to £5bn of annual costs to housebuilders. The Future Homes Standard, Biodiversity Net Gain, accessibility rules and electric vehicle charging requirements are among the other incremental costs facing the sector. Labour and materials costs are also rising, while house prices have flatlined, adding to the pressure on the industry, with smaller players disproportionately affected, the report will add. Sean Worth, a director at WPI Strategy, said: "A diverse range of housebuilders is important to ensuring the country is able to meet its headline housing target. "It is also critical to maintaining a competitive market." "The government has rightly acknowledged the importance of supporting small and medium sized builders. "However, a perfect storm of costs inherited from the past few years as well as additional regulatory burdens means that without urgent assistance we could see half all of SME builders starting insolvency proceedings by the end of the parliament."
Business News Wales
05-06-2025
- Business
- Business News Wales
Hugh James Planning Team Marks 'Transformational' Year of Growth
Top 100 UK Law Firm Hugh James is marking a 'significant milestone' in the evolution of its planning practice. Since the appointment of Alex Madden as Partner and head of planning and environmental in July 2024, the planning team has grown in both size and scope. The firm says it now has new clients, complex projects, and key hires under its belt. 'It's been an action-packed 12 months,' Alex said. 'We've supported the firm's commercial property team on standout deals like Rockwool's new manufacturing base at Peddimore and Pobl's land acquisition at Cardiff's Plas Dŵr. We've also facilitated critical conversations around housing delivery in Wales, including a roundtable with Lee Waters MS focused on unlocking social housing.' The team now includes Senior Associate, Hannah Mannion, who specialises in energy and renewables, and soon to be assistant solicitor Ben Bowen who will qualify in September 2025. The team's growth over the past year has significantly boosted their capacity to support the firm's national housebuilder client base across both contentious and non-contentious work, it said. The introduction of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for certain developments, updates to the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) – including the new 'grey belt' classification – and proposed legislative reforms via the Planning and Infrastructure Bill all signal an increasing demand for commercial planning advice, said the firm. Further changes are in the pipeline, with the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) publishing a working paper proposing reforms to site thresholds in the planning system to better support housing delivery across different types of sites and launching a consultation on proposed reforms to planning committees. Defra is also consulting on BNG implementation for NSIPs and minor, medium and brownfield developments. Alex believes these developments only underscore the importance of having a strong, agile legal team in place. 'Our expansion means we're not just meeting our clients' needs – we're anticipating them,' he said. 'We're now able to offer a cradle-to-grave service that ensures continuity, clarity and strategic input at every stage of a project. That's a win-win for clients new and old.' The team is advising on significant residential schemes in the South West. These include the landmark Selwood Garden Community comprising 1,700 homes, a major mixed-use development of around 400 units at Nailsea within the Green Belt, and a residential-led scheme at Trull delivering 125 new homes. Recent client wins include Wain Estates, Wain Homes, and Land Value Alliances. This strategic growth reflects Hugh James' wider vision for its planning and environmental team, and delivers on the ambitions set out when Alex was first appointed, the firm said. 'We knew that planning and environmental law was becoming a bigger priority for our clients,' said Alex. 'That's why we invested in building a market-leading team, and now we're delivering on that promise.'
