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Walkway in an estate in West Gorton transformed with grass and flowers.

Delivering Biodiversity Net Gain in Greater Manchester

Supporting Developers

The Greater Manchester Environment Fund (GMEF) can support your business requirements with offsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units that benefit the local area and community. We aim to provide a simple transaction for Developers who require off-site Biodiversity Net Gain units and understand the need for good value and the assurance that all details will be taken care of, so working with the GMEF makes good business sense. A nature-rich county brings so many health and wellbeing benefits to businesses and their employees, and by using GMEF you will have the confidence that nature will be enhanced across our city region, often in residential areas.

Our priority habitat banks have been strategically located as the most important sites for achieving our Greater Manchester Local Nature Recovery Network Strategy. This will ensure habitat connectivity and the expansion of the nature network across our area.

As GMEF is a not-for-profit organisation, you can be assured of value for money when purchasing with us. Off-site BNG units can be purchased from GMEF as needed, agreeing terms and paying the balance once planning permission is granted. We will liaise with the Local Planning Authority to take care of the legal aspects and the GMEF will ensure that the BNG units are delivered, monitored and reported on, so you don’t have to.

We follow the CIEEM, IEMA, CIRIA (2019) good practice principles for development, the latest guidance from Defra, and share knowledge with a country-wide BNG community of practice. The GMEF aims to provide excellence in off-site BNG delivery, and your business can be proud to deliver through us.

Management charges:

  • GMEF charges a programme management and facilitation fee for the full service provided over the full term of the project.
  • As a charity and non-profit company, our fees reflect the huge amount of work involved in identifying suitable sites, developing viable projects, and monitoring outcomes over long periods of time.
  • Biodiversity Net Gain funding allocations may be matched with other net gain funding or other grant funding to support larger, more strategic projects.
  • Where possible, Biodiversity Net Gain funds may be banked in a ring-fenced fund that will generate interest to fund further large-scale strategic habitat restoration and land purchase schemes to secure sites for long term Biodiversity Net Gain.

To talk to us about your business needs, you can e-mail us at gmenvfund@lancswt.org.uk.