A former sheep pasture in County Durham is to be transformed into a wildlife-rich landscape as part of a scheme aimed at supporting nature recovery while unlocking stalled housing.
The Westwick Habitat Bank near Barnard Castle will restore nearly 25 hectares as protected habitat for lapwings, oystercatchers and other wildlife.
The project also aims to cut nitrogen pollution reaching Teesmouth, a key environmental concern linked to regional housing growth.
County Durham’s Westwick Habitat Bank near Barnard Castle (Image: Supplied)
Dr Gabriel Connor-Streich, CEO and principal environmental scientist at Greenshank Environmental, said: "The Tees connects this landscape near Barnard Castle with protected wildlife habitats at Teesmouth.
"Changing how land is managed upstream can help reduce the pollution reaching those habitats, while creating more space for wildlife here.
"Westwick gives developers a way to meet their environmental requirements while investing in the restoration of nearly 25 hectares of land.
County Durham’s Westwick Habitat Bank near Barnard Castle (Image: Supplied)
"That is a practical connection between the homes the area needs and the recovery of its natural environment."
The site, about seven kilometres from the North Pennine Moors Special Protection Area, was intensively grazed by sheep, limiting its wildlife value.
Greenshank Environmental will oversee the restoration before handing the land to a conservation charity for long-term protection and management.
The project comes as County Durham faces pressure to build more than 2,000 homes a year.
County Durham’s Westwick Habitat Bank near Barnard Castle (Image: Supplied)
Developers in the Tees catchment must meet rules requiring them to offset wastewater nitrogen pollution and deliver at least 10 per cent biodiversity net gain on new developments.
The scheme is expected to stop around 290kg of nitrogen reaching Teesmouth’s protected habitats each year by restoring the land and changing how it is managed.
The improvements will generate nutrient mitigation credits and BNG units for developers to buy and use to meet the rules.
The plans include seven hectares of lowland meadow, nine hectares of neutral grassland, four hectares of mixed scrub and five hectares of floodplain wetland.
Surveys found lapwings and oystercatchers feeding on the site, while new wetlands are expected to help them and other ground-nesting birds.
Dr Connor-Streich said: "As landowners, we are also thinking about who will look after Westwick in the future.
"Our long-term aim is to gift the site to a conservation charity with an endowment to fund its management, so that the investment made today leaves a lasting conservation legacy."
The Westwick scheme also backs wider regional plans to improve the environment.
The Tees Valley Combined Authority’s draft nature recovery strategy identifies cutting nutrient runoff and restoring wetlands as priorities.
It also identifies the River Tees as a natural link between County Durham and Tees Valley, creating opportunities for joint conservation work.
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A Conservation Covenant will secure the site’s long-term management, with RSK Biocensus named as the responsible body.
BNG rules require off-site habitats to be maintained for at least 30 years.
The site is now accepting allocations for biodiversity units and nutrient mitigation credits.