Native Hedgerow associated with banks or ditches' BNG Units for Sale
Our Native Hedgerow BNG units are available for developments requiring additional hedgerow value through a suitable off-site allocation.
Purchasing the required units helps fulfil your biodiversity net gain planning conditions and supports your application through the planning process.
Price from
£26,110
per biodiversity unit
Planning compliant
30 years
legally secured BNG delivery.
Purchase increments
0.01 units
flexible purchasing to meet your 10% BNG requirement.
Fast Turnaround
48 hours
Allocation Agreement issued within 48 hours of payment.
CURRENT AVAILABILITY AND PRICING
Native Hedgerow Units Available for Development Projects
Native hedgerow BNG units associated with a bank or ditch are available from £26,110 per hedgerow unit.
These units are calculated separately from area habitat and watercourse units within the Biodiversity Metric.
Allocations are available in increments of 0.01, so even relatively small hedgerow requirements can be accommodated. The cost provided covers the administration, allocation process and necessary compliance documentation, helping you understand the financial commitment before the units are reserved.
Your BNG unit requirement can be priced within a 5 minuite conversation with one of highly trained Client Managers.
UNDERSTANDING THE REQUIREMENT
Why Does My BNG Assessment Require Native Hedgerow Units?
Your BNG assessment may identify a requirement for Native Hedgerow units where an existing hedge will be removed, shortened, fragmented or otherwise affected by the development. Hedgerows are measured separately within the Biodiversity Metric, so their loss cannot simply be balanced with additional grassland, woodland or other area-based habitat.
A native hedgerow is more than a field boundary. Made up predominantly of native woody species, it can provide blossom, fruit, nesting space and year-round shelter. It also creates a connected route through the landscape, helping wildlife move between grassland, woodland, ponds and other habitats.
Its biodiversity value depends on several features, including its length, species composition, structure, condition and connectivity. Associated features such as a bank, ditch or undisturbed margin may also contribute to the quality of the habitat.
The metric uses this information to determine the type and number of hedgerow units needed. The available units must then provide an appropriate match under the hedgerow trading rules, which is why the precise classification recorded in your assessment needs to be reviewed before an allocation is confirmed.
1
Existing habitat is assessed
The metric records the habitat affected by the proposed development.
2
A shortfall is calculated
On-site measures are accounted for before any off-site requirement is confirmed.
3
Suitable units are allocated
The habitat, location and unit requirement are reviewed before purchase.
HABITAT ASSESSMENT
How Native Hedgerow Units are Assessed
Native Hedgerow units are assessed as a linear habitat, with their value based on more than length alone.
The Biodiversity Metric considers the hedgerow’s classification, condition and overall structure. An ecologist looks at how well the hedge functions as a continuous habitat and whether it contains the features expected of a healthy native boundary.
The assessment may consider:
• the proportion and variety of native woody species;
• the height, width and density of the hedge;
• the size and frequency of gaps;
• the condition of the hedge base;
• associated vegetation and field margins;
• the presence of banks, ditches or other linked features;
• signs of damage, excessive cutting or poor establishment;
• how well the hedgerow connects with nearby woodland, grassland and other habitats.
These details help distinguish a mature, connected native hedge from one that is narrow, fragmented or dominated by only a small number of species.
Two hedgerows of the same length can therefore have very different biodiversity values. A dense, species-rich hedge with a strong base and good connections across the landscape can provide far more shelter, food and movement routes for wildlife than a heavily cut hedge with repeated gaps.
The final unit value reflects the hedgerow’s length, type and condition, together with any adjustments linked to the time and difficulty involved in creating or enhancing it.
Hedgerrow units are calculated separately from area habitats and watercourses. This means they must be used against the hedgerow shortfall identified for the development, rather than being exchanged for grassland, woodland or watercourse units.
Habitat type
What is present or being created
Condition
The ecological quality achieved
Area
The linear length and width of the hedgerow
Location
How spatial rules affect allocation
CREATION AND MANAGEMENT
How Native Hedgerow Is Created and Managed
Creating a valuable native hedgerow involves building a dense, connected habitat that can mature and develop over time. It is more than planting a straight line of shrubs and cutting them into shape.
The work begins with the site itself. Soil conditions, drainage, exposure, nearby habitats and the existing landscape pattern all influence the species mix and planting approach.
Depending on the location, the hedge may include native species such as hawthorn, blackthorn, hazel, field maple, dog rose, spindle or holly. A varied mix helps the hedge provide blossom, fruit, cover and nesting opportunities across different seasons.
Establishment may include:
• preparing the planting line and soil;
• selecting a suitable native species mix;
• planting closely enough to create a continuous structure;
• protecting young plants from livestock and browsing animals;
• controlling weeds during the early years;
• replacing failed plants before permanent gaps develop;
• retaining or establishing an undisturbed margin beside the hedge.
The early management period is particularly important. Without protection and follow-up care, young plants may fail to establish evenly, leaving a thin or fragmented boundary that delivers less habitat value than intended.
As the hedge matures, the management focuses on keeping it dense, varied and connected. Cutting may be carried out on a rotational basis so that sections can flower and fruit, rather than removing the entire season’s growth at once. Gap planting, hedge laying or coppicing may also be used where appropriate to strengthen the structure and rejuvenate older sections.
The aim is not to keep the hedge perfectly uniform. A healthy native hedgerow should contain variation in height, width and age while remaining sufficiently continuous to provide shelter and a safe route for wildlife.
Ecological monitoring records changes in species composition, hedge structure, gaps and associated vegetation. Where the habitat is not developing towards its agreed condition, management can be adjusted through further planting, altered cutting cycles or targeted restoration work.
This long-term approach is what supports the value attached to the units. The investment covers the creation, establishment, restoration and ongoing ecological management of a functioning native hedgerow, rather than a one-off planting exercise.
Establish
Prepare and develop the required plant community.
Manage
Apply planned cutting, grazing and vegetation control.
Monitor
Record condition and progress against habitat objectives.
Adapt
Adjust management where monitoring identifies a need.
LONG-TERM DELIVERY
Long-Term Habitat Delivery
Each unit is backed by habitat on land owned and managed by BNG Solutions UK. We remain responsible for the conservation covenant, ecological oversight, ongoing management and monitoring required to deliver the habitat for at least 30 years.
These responsibilities, and the associated long-term costs, remain with us.
THE PURCHASE PROCESS
From Metric Review to Completed Allocation
Send your metric
Provide the development location and unit requirement.
Suitability review
Habitat type, spatial rules and availability are checked.
Confirm allocation
Pricing, documentation and allocation details are agreed.
Complete and register
The units are allocated to the development and DEFRA registered.
What We Need to Confirm Your Allocation
To carry out an initial review, we will usually need your completed Biodiversity Metric, development postcode and the number of Native Hedgerow units identified. Where available, you can also send your Biodiversity Gain Plan and any relevant planning correspondence.
Native Hedgerow BNG Units FAQs
Native hedgerow BNG units are off-site linear biodiversity units generated by creating or enhancing hedgerows formed predominantly from native woody species. They can be allocated to a development where the Biodiversity Metric identifies a compatible hedgerow-unit shortfall that cannot be delivered entirely through on-site measures.
Yes. Native hedgerow BNG units associated with a bank or ditch are currently available through BNG Solutions UK. Availability remains subject to the number of units required, the development location and compatibility with the completed Biodiversity Metric.
This is a specific habitat classification within the Statutory Biodiversity Metric. It describes a native hedgerow accompanied by an associated earth bank or drainage feature that forms part of the wider linear habitat.
It is different from a hedgerow with trees. The presence of a bank or ditch does not automatically mean that established hedgerow trees are included within the habitat classification.
Not always. Where the feature meets the Statutory Biodiversity Metric definition of a watercourse ditch, it must be recorded separately within the watercourse module. In that situation, the “associated with a ditch” classification should not also be used for the hedgerow.
The completed metric and ecological assessment must therefore be checked to establish how the feature has been classified.
Send us your completed Biodiversity Metric and development location. We will review the hedgerow habitat affected, its distinctiveness, the number and type of units required, the applicable trading rules and the spatial relationship between the development and the gain site.
We will then confirm whether the available native hedgerow units are compatible and how many units would need to be allocated.
No. Native hedgerow units can only be used within the hedgerow module of the Statutory Biodiversity Metric. They cannot replace area habitat or watercourse units.
Compatibility also depends on the distinctiveness of the hedgerow affected. Medium-distinctiveness hedgerow losses must be replaced with hedgerow units from the same or a higher distinctiveness band.
Native hedgerow BNG units associated with a bank or ditch are currently available from £29,840 per biodiversity unit.
The final price depends on the number of units required.
Yes. Native hedgerow BNG units can be purchased in increments of 0.01 units, allowing the allocation to be matched closely to the shortfall shown in the Biodiversity Metric.
No. One hedgerow biodiversity unit does not represent a fixed number of metres.
Hedgerows are measured using their centre-line length in kilometres, but the number of units generated also depends on factors such as habitat type, distinctiveness, condition, strategic significance and the risks associated with creating or enhancing the habitat. Two hedgerows of the same length may therefore generate different numbers of units.
Yes. The Statutory Biodiversity Metric applies a spatial risk multiplier to off-site hedgerow delivery based on the relationship between the development and the biodiversity gain site.
We review both locations before confirming the final requirement. Where the gain site is farther from the development, additional off-site units may be needed to meet the calculated shortfall.
The purchase provides the agreed number of native hedgerow BNG units for allocation to your development.
BNG Solutions UK also supports the allocation agreement, biodiversity gain site registration requirements and the information needed to evidence the off-site provision within the Biodiversity Gain Plan. Any fixed administration, registration and allocation charges will be identified clearly in the quotation.
Administration, registration, allocation charges are fixed, ensuring no hidden charges.
BNG Solutions UK remains responsible for the ecological delivery, management and monitoring of the native hedgerow in accordance with the Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan and legal agreement.
The habitat will be legally secured and managed for a minimum of 30 years. The purchaser does not become responsible for routine hedgerow management, ecological monitoring or the associated long-term delivery costs.
START WITH YOUR BIODIVERSITY METRIC
Check whether Native Hedgerow units are right for your development
Send the metric, development location and required number of units. Our team can review suitability and confirm current availability before you commit.