Credit buyer · England
Environment Bank habitat banks
Leases (or buys) your land for at least 30 years to create a habitat bank, pays you annually and sells the biodiversity units to developers itself.
- From
- Environment Bank Ltd
- How much
- Quote after review; company marketing has quoted up to £27,000/ha and £20,000-£60,000 a year typical extra income (not independently checked). 50/50 share of revenue above target. First annual payment or lump sum at the start.
- Who can apply
- Landowners in England with typically 10 ha (25 acres) or more; you can lease part of a holding.
- Buys
- biodiversity units
What you’ll need
- At least about 10 ha in England
- Land suitable for habitat creation
- Willingness to sign a 30+ year agreement
How to apply
- Submit the land enquiry form
- On-site ecology assessment
- Sign agreement with payment schedule
- Habitat creation starts and payments begin
Environment Bank says it covers set-up, legal and accounting costs and pays regardless of unit sales. Grazing and hay cutting can often continue. Biodiversity net gain habitat banks need a legal agreement (conservation covenant or section 106) on the land for at least 30 years, binding on later owners; you must keep managing the habitat and can be penalised if it fails. Land under it is worth less for farming or development, and whether APR inheritance tax relief applies to private BNG deals is still unclear. Get independent legal, land-agent and tax advice before signing.
Similar schemes
- Biodiversity Net Gain - selling off-site biodiversity units OpenNatural England (register) / local planning authoritiesCreate or improve habitat on your land and sell the 'biodiversity units' to developers who must make up for habitat lost.
- Stour Environmental Credits OpenStour Environmental Credits Ltd (Kent councils)Sells nutrient credits to developers in the Stour catchment and pays landowners to carry out mitigation (e.g. wetlands, stream enhancement) from the proceeds.
- EnTrade nature markets (nutrient, biodiversity, carbon) Open all yearEnTrade (Wessex Water spin-out; JV with Arup from 2026)Runs auction 'market rounds' where farmers offer projects such as wetlands, woodland, grassland or cover crops and developers or water companies bid to buy the resulting credits.
- Nattergal wildland habitat banks Open all yearNattergal LtdCreates large rewilding sites and sells biodiversity net gain units from them; partners with estates (e.g. Herstmonceux Castle Estate) to restore land and generate nature income.
- Natural England Nutrient Mitigation Scheme Open all yearNatural EnglandNatural England creates wetlands and other habitat to offset nutrient pollution, selling credits to developers; it works with landowners to find sites.
- Norfolk Environmental Credits Open all yearNorfolk Environmental Credits Ltd (Norfolk councils)Council-backed company that buys or creates nutrient mitigation (wetlands, land-use change) and sells credits to developers; landowners can put forward sites.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2, 3. Always read the official page before you apply.