Pioneering land management

How Alscot Estate has taken a lead in creating biodiversity net gain (BNG) units for sale to developers.

We’ve taken the opportunity to investigate and implement farming and land-based strategies that could help secure the future of both the estate and the environment for generations to come.

Emma Holman-West

Chief Executive, Alscot Estate

A BNG first

The Alscot Estate passed into Emma Holman-West’s family in 1747 and she is the ninth generation West to call Alscot her home. Through Emma’s leadership, Alscot has adapted and innovated to suit 21st century needs. We spoke to her about her experience of biodiversity net gain (BNG).

Key facts:

Alscot Estate comprises 4,000 acres of land just south of Stratford-upon-Avon
It launched the first private BNG site in the UK back in April 2020
48 acres were committed to BNG – creating 60 saleable units – with the aim of improving natural grasslands to encourage rare and almost extinct plant and animal species to thrive
Having competed the first phase of its programme to promote biodiversity, Alscot has plans for a second, larger BNG site of around 150 acres¹.

A regenerative approach

Emma’s BNG story began when she began to feel that the current industrial mainstream farming practises used over the years on their farm were having a detrimental effect on soil structure and the environment – and a more regenerative approach was something she wanted to introduce to the estate.

She explains that encouraging biodiversity and helping to address climate change requires land management that promotes soil health, the planting of trees and hedges to sequester carbon and to mitigate flooding, while also providing habitats for plants and wildlife, shelter belts for livestock and supporting animal welfare.

“The future of farming is changing,” she says, “this is in response to a resolution to try and help combat climate change and the nature and health crisis. Landowners, including myself, have an obligation to contribute to this in a significant and positive manner.”

As custodian of the estate, it’s my job to ensure its safe keeping and that means diversifying and exploring emerging opportunities to fit in with modern-day life, and this includes natural capital schemes and opportunities.

Emma Holman-West

Chief Executive, Alscot Estate

Striking a balance

The commercial reality of Alscot Estate, Emma explains, is that its diverse assets – which include residential and commercial properties as well as farming land – sometimes conflict with each other. The future of the estate, and the jobs of the people who work there, relies on the successful management of all these assets. “That can be somewhat challenging and for us it’s about balance.”

Emma sees a need for a similar balance across the wider UK economy: “Sustainable development and commerce must continue enabling homes and for the economy to thrive, while farming sustainably for food is essential for health, and wellbeing. At Alscot, with property and land, we work to manage each income stream appropriately to enable a successful business.”

She adds: “The one-off larger payments that come in from the sales of offsite BNG units enables us to reinvest into projects that in turn bring in further income on a long-term basis, allowing for the ongoing management of the BNG site.”

Lessons learned

As a BNG pioneer, Emma has learned valuable lessons and has some useful tips for other landowners who might be considering giving land over to the biodiversity scheme.

For Emma, expert advice from multiple sources is key. During the process of creating its first BNG site, the Alscot Estate worked with ecologists and conducted baseline surveys, nature assessments, soil tests, flood surveys and financial impact assessments.

Emma says collaborating with the ecologists on devising a Biodiversity Offsetting Management Plan (BOMP) is essential but adds that landowners shouldn’t be afraid to challenge it. “The BOMP is formulated to follow a long-term process-led approach, yet the goal should be designed with achievement in mind, and no one knows their land better than the landowner.”

The evolving BNG market

Emma believes the development of the fledgling market in BNG units available for developers to buy will clearly play a key role in the effectiveness of the Government’s programme to promote biodiversity.

With BNG now a mandatory part of the planning process, she expects more offsite BNG sites to become available to meet demand. This could mean unit prices become more competitive, which could result in lower-than-expected income for landowners.

Emma encourages developers to take an active role in their BNG investments. She reiterates that the Alscot BNG site delivers tangible benefits to the land, and with sustainability and environmental practices high on consumers’ agendas, she believes this type of approach can be a valuable selling tool for developers.

Emma’s final tip for landowners is to remember that a BNG site is a long-term contractual project, and they will need to plan funding accordingly: “The sale of BNG units comes in as a one-off payment but it takes investment to manage the monitored process, possibly for many years after the units have been sold and the initial income has been spent.”

Working with Barclays

Having the right banking partner is essential and the right support can make a huge difference to the way we operate

Emma Holman-West

Chief Executive, Alscot Estate

For Alscot, legislations like BNG pave a way for longer term planning and investment, and this is something that Barclays can assist with.

Here at Barclays, we recognise the significant role Estates like Alscot play in exploring new opportunities for the agriculture sector and look forward to continuing to work with them to drive their strategy forward.