Beetham, South Cumbria

BNG units for sale,
delivered by
ecologists.

Off-site biodiversity net gain units from Beetham, Westmorland and Furness, in the Morecambe Bay Limestones landscape. Local nature recovery, managed for the long term.

Discuss your BNG requirement

Beside the River Bela. Managed for the long term.

Aerial view of Ellers Meadow beside the River Bela and Beetham
Ellers Meadow beside the River Bela
5+ acresRiverside habitat bank
162 mFormer culvert reopened
30 yearsManagement & monitoring

Where the alder trees grow

A place for nature.
A future for wildlife.

Ellers Meadow takes its name from “where the alder trees grow”, echoing the Old Norse “eller” for alder.

We protect our veteran alders by excluding livestock from the River Bela’s banks and planting new alders to continue their legacy. Around them, a wildflower meadow, reopened stream, reedbeds, wildlife pond and traditional orchard create a rich mix of habitats.

Our 30-year management plan supports lasting habitat improvements and off-site units to help developments meet their biodiversity net gain requirements.

Wildflowers growing in the meadow beneath mature trees

Off-site biodiversity net gain

Biodiversity units available to buy.

Ellers Meadow Habitat Bank offers off-site BNG units for developers, planning consultants and landowners. Our habitat creation and enhancement scheme provides the following habitat types for sale:

Area habitat units

  • Other neutral grassland — meadow habitat
  • Rural trees — individual tree habitat
  • Traditional orchards
  • Mixed scrub
  • Ponds (non-priority habitat)
  • Reedbeds

Hedgerow units

Species-rich native hedgerows with trees.

Watercourse units

Other rivers and streams, delivered through the restoration of an open stream from a former culvert.

Send us your biodiversity metric and development location. We can check the habitat match, trading rules and spatial requirements and provide a quote for suitable units.

Enquire about BNG units

BNG in Cumbria and neighbouring areas

Westmorland and Furness.
Morecambe Bay Limestones.

Ellers Meadow is beside the River Bela at Beetham, near Milnthorpe in South Cumbria. The habitat bank is in the Westmorland and Furness Council local planning authority area and Morecambe Bay Limestones National Character Area (NCA 20).

BNG units for Westmorland and Furness developments

We welcome enquiries for developments across Westmorland and Furness, including Kendal, Milnthorpe, Grange-over-Sands, Ulverston, Barrow-in-Furness and Penrith. Parts of the council area are within national parks, where the national park authority handles planning applications.

Neighbouring local planning authorities

We also welcome enquiries from Lancaster City Council, Cumberland Council, North Yorkshire Council, Durham County Council and Northumberland County Council areas, and from the Lake District National Park Authority and Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority planning areas.

For area habitat and hedgerow units, the development’s local planning authority and National Character Area help determine the statutory metric spatial risk multiplier. A development in the same Morecambe Bay Limestones NCA may benefit from a local habitat match even when it falls within a different planning authority. We check the applicable multiplier for each enquiry.

For river and stream units, suitability is assessed against the relevant waterbody and catchment rather than the LPA or NCA alone. Contact us with your site location to check compatibility.

Landscape reference: Natural England’s Morecambe Bay Limestones NCA profile.

Habitat creation in practice

Nature recovery you can see.

Ecology guides our work on the ground, from restoring flowing water to giving birds space to nest and feed.

The reopened stream flowing through grassy banks

A stream brought back to life

We have reopened 162 metres of former culvert as a new stream, restoring an open watercourse through the meadow.

Reedbeds and vegetation around the wildlife pond

Room for wetland wildlife

Our wildlife pond, reedbeds and pond margins provide varied wetland habitats alongside the River Bela.

Mature riverside alders with livestock excluded by fencing

Protecting our riverside alders

Livestock exclusion protects the riverbanks and veteran alders. New planting continues their legacy.

Bat and barn owl boxes in useGrass rides cut for barn owlsResident breeding pair of kingfishersUncut hedgerows retain berries for birds

For developers, consultants & brokers

Start with
your metric.

Share your biodiversity metric and site details. We will check the habitat types you need, spatial fit and current availability, then provide a development-specific quote.

Units are available through Envirotech and selected partners.

Ask about availability

  • Area habitat units

    Discuss your area habitat requirement and the habitats needed to meet the metric’s trading rules.

  • Hedgerow units

    Ask us to check your hedgerow requirement against the current portfolio.

  • Watercourse units

    Discuss your watercourse requirement, catchment and spatial fit.

Indicative portfolio. Unit types, quantities, suitability and availability must be confirmed for your development.

Fruit trees in the traditional orchard at Ellers Meadow

A habitat bank with a wider life

A living classroom.

Ellers Meadow is a place where schools and community groups can experience habitat creation first hand and learn about the wildlife around them.

  • Pond-dipping and freshwater ecology
  • Meadow, pollinator, orchard and hedgerow learning
  • Field skills and citizen science
  • Practical talks and visits led by ecologists
  • Annual village “Duck Day”

The traditional orchard is in production, with honey bee hives adding to the meadow’s wider life. Contact us to discuss a group visit.

Ecology-led stewardship

Andrew &
Hannah Gardner

Envirotech directors, ecologists and long-term custodians of Ellers Meadow. Together they bring more than 40 years of experience in ecology and land management, linking the sale of biodiversity units to the ongoing care of the habitats that deliver them.

From enquiry to allocation

Your next steps.

  1. Share your metric & site details

    Send your metric, location and planning details, together with your timescale.

  2. Confirm unit fit & quote

    We check habitat requirements, spatial fit and availability, and confirm a quote.

  3. Agree purchase & allocation

    Proceed through the purchase and registered allocation process, subject to the required agreements and approvals.

Talk to Envirotech

Let’s discuss
your development.

Send us your metric and site details to check suitability and current availability. For school or community visits, contact us to discuss your group.

015395 61894webenquiry@envtech.co.ukEmail your enquiryAvailable via Envirotech and selected partners