It is important to build a strong evidence base with agreed, and shared, data and metrics, early in the process.

A monitoring strategy will also be needed from the beginning to ensure specific goals are being met; this will be vital for buyers/investors.

The baseline data for the site is crucial- habitat and species surveys conducted by competent and qualified experts. Then an assessment of potential ecosystem services and quantification of potential credits/units that can be generated.

You will likely need data from you Local Environmental Records Centre (LERC). This is Merseyside BioBank in Liverpool, Sefton, Knowsley and St Helens; Cheshire Record in Wirral and Halton; and LERN for West Lancashire.

Land Ownership

Land purchase can be expensive and time-consuming, as well as not being easily or widely available.

Other options include leasing land, managing land for others or working with a landowner as a project partner and stakeholder. Farmers, tenant farmers and landowners can be considered as potential buyers, investors and partners.  By advising and supporting them you should be looking for a win/win outcome where they are not financially penalised and their actions are beneficial to your project, the environment, habitats and species. This will need to consider how their current or future funding sources can be stacked or bundled with your proposal.

When developing a project partnership it is always advisable to invite landowners to join any boards or steering groups and to also consider linking with any relevant, local farmer clusters.

Local Authority Land

Local Authority-owned land, and public estate is important to consider. This could cover many types of land including country parks, publicly owned greenspaces (parks), roadside verges, hedgerows, county farms, golf courses, Local Wildlife Sites, 'orphan' or vacant sites, etc.

Proposals for utilising this land could focus on:

  • Local Authority strategies (carbon net zero, climate change mitigation, people’s access to nature, enhanced biodiversity duty)
  • Local Authority unit or credit requirements (Biodiversity Units required for local authority developments)
  • Local Plans

The above are important considerations regardless of who owns the land. Similarly, LAs are likely to be key stakeholders, in any project, and it is important to have them onboard. This will greatly help to reduce any perceived financial risk in the project and could therefore make proposals more attractive to funders, buyers and investors.