Duxford Old River Floodplain Restoration Project & Habitat Bank 

Floodplain restoration in the Upper Thames Conservation Target Area.
Nature Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Case Studies

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Project Overview

This project is being showcased as part of UKGBC’s Biodiversity and Environmental Net Gain Project.

Duxford Old River is a 45-ha floodplain site, which is the newest addition to Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve. It is bordered by two water courses; the River Thames (main channel to the north and part of the Duxford Loop to the east) and Wadley Stream to the south. This site lies at the heart of the Upper Thames Conservation Target Area (CTA) and is part of BBOWT’s Upper Thames Living Landscape Scheme area, both important for landscape scale conservation. In early 2023, BBOWT commenced management of Duxford to restore the site to a functioning floodplain ecosystem. From 2023 onwards payments from developers to achieve BNG will fund land management activity on Duxford for 30 years. 

Company name

Berkshire Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust

Location

Duxford Old River (part of Chimney Meadows Nature Reserve, Chimney, Bampton, Oxon), OX18 2EH (Local Authority: Vale of White Horse)

UK availability

Yes

Date added

Oct, 2023

Completion date

Implemented in 2023, with 30 years of management to follow

Project partners

Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust is working with Finance Earth (financial advisers), Bidwells (land agents), Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment (broker) to design and implement our habitat bank.

Project status

Design

Key Sustainability Objectives/outcomes and Approaches Used

Biodiversity Net Gain 

The Wildlife Trusts Habitat Banking project (a partnership between BBOWT, Cheshire, Warwickshire and Surrey Wildlife Trusts, and Finance Earth) approach enabled BBOWT to explore the best sales strategy of biodiversity units across the life of the project. Berks Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust has recently presented a webinar about this here. 

Duxford will have a large volume of units to sell (in the hundreds) from the creation of a mosaic of key floodplain habitats: floodplain wetland mosaic, other neutral grassland, broad-leaved woodland, and mixed scrub . These habitats will support species of wildfowl, waders, and songbirds. An Environment Benefits from Nature assessment revealed that in 30 years we are likely to see increases in the following services: water supply, flood regulation, erosion protection, carbon storage, air quality regulation, cooling and shading, and interaction with nature. We are likely to see large increases in: water quality regulation, pollination, pest control, aesthetic value, and sense of place. 

Lessons Learnt

BBOWT really benefitted from having a financial model developed by Finance Earth to stress test its sales approach across multiple scenarios (of selling pre- or post-enhancement, testing the unit price). There was a need for patience and adaptability, as the model required multiple iterations as challenges were identified. Creating a habitat bank in a pre-regulation environment has been resource intensive and a time-consuming process, as there are still many regulatory uncertainties. 

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