Environment Bank Launches 120-Acre Habitat Bank in Derbyshire to Enhance Biodiversity

Environment Bank, the UK’s leading specialist in biodiversity gains, has unveiled the Melbourne and Weston-on-Trent Habitat Bank in Derbyshire. This new addition expands its national network by more than 120 acres dedicated to nature recovery.

Located east of Burton-on-Trent alongside the River Trent, the paired sites will focus on restoring and improving a variety of habitats, including lowland meadows, neutral grassland, mixed scrub, broadleaved woodland, and hedgerows. As an Environment Bank-owned property, the Melbourne & Weston-on-Trent Habitat Bank allows for immediate habitat creation, accelerating biodiversity restoration in a region already abundant with wildlife.

Ecologists from Environment Bank have recorded species such as skylarks, yellowhammers, linnets, and brown hares on the site. Their restoration efforts will prioritise grassland creation to support an even wider range of wildlife in the future.

The site’s proximity to the Melbourne Railway Local Wildlife Site (LWS) presents a valuable opportunity to enhance and connect existing habitats. The planned grasslands will link to nearby semi-natural grassland areas, improving ecological connectivity across the landscape. Currently, most of the 120-acre site is arable land, which Environment Bank intends to convert into meadows and grasslands that benefit farmland birds and other species, while fostering native wildflower growth.

Will Witchell, Head of Land for northern sites at Environment Bank, commented: “We’re thrilled to announce this exciting addition to our growing network of nature recovery sites. The grasslands along this stretch of the River Trent will provide an important habitat for a range of farmland birds and other wildlife. That gives us a really strong foundation to build on.

By improving and expanding these grassland habitats, creating new areas of scrub and woodland, and strengthening connections with the wider river corridor, we hope to see even more species making use of the site in the years ahead. It’s exactly the kind of landscape where nature can recover at scale, creating better nesting, feeding and shelter opportunities for wildlife while helping to reconnect habitats across the wider area.”

Restoration plans include enhancing existing grasslands, establishing mixed scrub and broadleaved woodland, and adding habitat features to support birds, pollinators, and other wildlife. The Environment Bank team will also manage invasive Himalayan balsam in line with Invasive Non-Native Species (INNS) guidelines to encourage native flora to thrive.

Beyond its ecological importance, the site contains historical features such as ridge-and-furrow farming evidence, a medieval wing dam, and remains of a Second World War depot, highlighting the area’s longstanding connection to the River Trent.

The Biodiversity Units generated by Melbourne & Weston-on-Trent Habitat Bank offer a robust local off-site Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) solution for the South Derbyshire local planning authority area, the Trent Valley Washlands and Melbourne Parklands National Character Area, and the Derbyshire Local Nature Recovery Strategy area. These units are currently available for purchase, subject to availability.

This site is part of more than 50 Habitat Banks managed by Environment Bank across the UK. Together, these sites cover over 4,500 acres and have unlocked more than 10,000 off-site Biodiversity Units for developers nationwide.