Cutacre Habitat Bank: Delivering High-Integrity Biodiversity Net Gain Units in Greater Manchester and Lancashire
Lancashire Wildlife Trust is thrilled to announce the official launch of its first Habitat Bank for offsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), now registered by Natural England (BGS-180625001). This marks an exciting step forward in providing developers with access to high-integrity biodiversity units across Greater Manchester, Lancashire, and Merseyside. It puts the Trust in a position to ensure that nature recovery is at the forefront of everyone’s minds, and with ambitious targets to achieve 30% of land and sea in recovery by 2030, it’s a vital undertaking.
Supporting Developers with Offsite Biodiversity Units
Located in Wigan, the new Cutacre Habitat Bank will supply both area and linear BNG units to meet the growing demand for offsite biodiversity solutions. The site is ideally positioned to serve developers seeking Biodiversity Net Gain units that deliver measurable ecological outcomes and meet planning policy requirements.
By offering offsite biodiversity units, Lancashire Wildlife Trust ensures that development projects can achieve their BNG obligations while contributing to regional nature recovery and habitat creation.
Strategic Location: Strengthening Greater Manchester’s Ecological Network
Cutacre Habitat Bank sits in close proximity to the Wigan Greenheart and Greater Manchester Wetlands area, a landscape identified as a strategic priority within the Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Strategy.
The proximity to existing restoration sites enhances connectivity and maximises the ecological value of the Trust’s conservation work. This ensures that every BNG unit delivered contributes to a resilient, joined-up network of habitats that support a wide variety of species across Lancashire and Greater Manchester.
Restoration and Habitat Creation at Cutacre Habitat Bank
Restoration work by the Trust’s experienced team, including a herd of native rare-breed longhorn cattle, began in Autumn 2024.
Initial habitat creation has focused on:
- Targeted grazing to promote wildflower-rich grasslands
- Planting new hedgerows and sowing locally sourced wildflowers
- Coppicing woodland to enhance structure and biodiversity
Site manager Stephen Cartwright said, “Even after just one year of intensive restoration, we are seeing lowland meadow habitats establishing with over 13 species per square metre in many areas.”
Extensive ecological monitoring continues through vegetation surveys, Common Bird Census, eDNA, and bioacoustics. During Spring and Summer 2025, over 65 bird species were recorded, including Grey Partridge, Willow Tit, and Barn Owl, evidence that Biodiversity Net Gain is already being achieved on site.
