South Downs National Park will see 330ac of its land restored to their natural condition of centuries ago as part of one of the UK’s largest ever biodiversity net gain (BNG) schemes.
Registered with South Downs National Park Authority and Natural England, Halnaker Hill Farm near Chichester, West Sussex, is one of the largest single BNG land banks in the UK by number of BNG units available.
The land will be parcelled into 856 units and sold to both mandatory and voluntary markets across the UK in a bid to promote biodiversity.
The historic farmland will be transformed into a variety of wildlife habitats, such as hedgerows, grassland, ponds, woodland, and wildflower meadows.
Sales and Marketing director at Halnaker Hill Natural Capital, Greg Lukasiewicz said: “Halnaker Hill Farm is one of the largest BNG Nature banks in the UK, generating over 850 available BNG units, providing us with an outstanding opportunity to restore hundreds of acres of farmland through regenerative farming methods.
“Since HHNC (Halnaker Hill Natural Capital) acquired the site in 2024, we have been at work, and have already seen the landscape transform from intensively farmed land to a green haven for wildlife, as the grassland, new trees and hedgerows that we have already planted are given the space to thrive.”
Biodiversity at Halnaker Hill Farm
Halnaker Hill Farm – which is overlooked by the historic 18th century Halnaker Windmill – has been farmed for centuries, with evidence of a Neolithic encampment having once been situated here.
The restoration plan is based on a map drawn up in the 18th century by the topographers Yeakell & Gardener for the ‘Great Survey of Sussex’, to show how farmers worked with nature before the intensive farming that is the norm today.
The restoration project aims to recreate many of these historic elements through carefully designed conservation practices, including the hand-planting of over 20,000 trees.
As well as that, the farm will wildlife corridors restored, ponds and wildflower meadows created, and sheep and Sussex cattle reintroduced to the land.
The project will span across two natural character areas (NCAs), including South Coast Plain and South Downs National Park Authority, delivering habitats of medium and high distinctiveness.
These include hedgerows; lowland grassland; other neutral grassland; mixed scrub; ponds; and individual trees and woodland.
