CLM Ltd

CLM and Iford Biodiversity Project will be in Leeds for the UK’s Real Estate Investment and Infrastructure Forum (UKREiiF) on May 20-22. The event is expected to attract 16,000-plus attendees from the business, investment, planning, regeneration and biodiversity sectors, so we’re anticipating a busy time on our stand (F4). We’re looking forward to three days of conversations about #BiodiversityNetGain #BNG, how to make the most of the opportunities it offers – and how we can help businesses meet their statutory obligations and voluntary #CSR #ESG ambitions. We’ll be sharing what’s happening at Iford, which has a 30-year landscape-scale vision covering 800ha of Sussex with nature recovery at its heart, using BNG as the main vehicle for securing the necessary investment. The ENDS Report described the project, which is located in a beautiful part of the South Downs National Park Authority, as a “pioneer”. Iford is already a tried-and-tested BNG provider, leading the field with allocations from the staturory register. All the necessary paperwork is of course in place, so developers’ or investors’ requirements can be satisfied immediately. It's leading the way when it comes to offsite unit provision, helping partners meet their needs quickly and cost-effectively. In addition to our work with landowners establishing direct to market #HabitatBanks CLM also works with developers advising on how to fulfil their BNG obligations, helping them calculate their needs, optimising the units they require, and creating bespoke solutions. The team will be on hand to talk about everything from habitat creation and the nuances of the BNG metric to onsite vs offsite options and market values for statutory and voluntary units. Our experience and up-to-the-minute market intelligence will be of interest to anyone looking to acquire BNG units, so please call in. We’ll even have some giveaways on the stand – including the chance to win one of Iford Biodiversity Project brand new voluntary biodiversity credits – identified with a what3words address, secured with a bespoke s106 agreement with South Downs National Park Authority and registered with Earthly. Iford Estate Manager Ben Taylor will be at UKREiiF, together with CLM Director Anthony Weston, plus CLM Associate Director Harrison Anton and CLM Farm & Environment Consultant Neve Clatworthy. We look forward to meeting you...

𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 - Now officially on the Statutory BNG register! Gain site reference: BGS-130225001 Neve Clatworthy & Anthony Weston had the pleasure of working with our client Piers Clark to develop the vision, carry out the #UKHabs baseline, #MoRPh River Condition Assessment,  Statutory Metric Calculations, write the Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan and advise on establishing a Conservation Covenant for the land and finally register the site! In short CLM undertook EVERYTHING that is required to establish a viable 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 habitat bank. Within: 📍 #Horsham LPA 📍 The Low Weald NCA Adjacent to: 📍 Mole Valley LPA 📍 Waverley LPA 📍 Chichester LPA 📍 South Downs LPA 📍 Mid Sussex LPA 📍 Crawley LPA 📍 High Weald NCA 📍 Romney Marsh NCA 📍 Wealden Greensand NCA 📍 South Downs NCA 📍 Pevensey Levels NCA https://lnkd.in/edu9FkWz #BNG #Statutory #BNGRegister #biodiversitynetgain

𝗔𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝘁 𝗡𝗮𝘁𝘂𝗿𝗲 𝗥𝗲𝘀𝗲𝗿𝘃𝗲 - Now officially on the Statutory BNG register! Gain site reference: BGS-130225001 Neve Clatworthy & Anthony Weston had the pleasure of working with our client Piers Clark to develop the vision, carry out the #UKHabs baseline, #MoRPh River Condition Assessment,  Statutory Metric Calculations, write the Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan and advise on establishing a Conservation Covenant for the land and finally register the site! In short CLM undertook EVERYTHING that is required to establish a viable 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙚𝙩 habitat bank. Within: 📍 #Horsham LPA 📍 The Low Weald NCA Adjacent to: 📍 Mole Valley LPA 📍 Waverley LPA 📍 Chichester LPA 📍 South Downs LPA 📍 Mid Sussex LPA 📍 Crawley LPA 📍 High Weald NCA 📍 Romney Marsh NCA 📍 Wealden Greensand NCA 📍 South Downs NCA 📍 Pevensey Levels NCA https://lnkd.in/edu9FkWz #BNG #Statutory #BNGRegister #biodiversitynetgain

More setbacks for food, farming and nature.

𝗜𝗻 𝗰𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗺𝗶𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗡𝗲𝘄𝘀𝗹𝗲𝘁𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝘄𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗲𝗮𝗿𝗹𝗶𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗺𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗵... Covering new information about the new Countryside Stewardship Higher Tier (CSHT) and existing Sustainable Farming Incentive (SFI) schemes, the importance of patience and planning when thinking of the potential impact of new Inheritance Tax (IHT) rules, Small sites BNG, the revised National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) for England, and CLM's recent expansion with the (re)addition of Nic Burchell to the team! #ICYMI #Update #CountrysideStewardship #SFI #SuccessionPlanning #BNG

🚜 𝗖𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗣𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗦𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴 🚜 The end of winter sees a flurry of activity with preparation for spring grown crops, in some cases this will involve destruction of cover crops before sowing the next cash crop. Knowing the most appropriate time to graze off cover crops to prepare for spring drilling can be difficult to judge, especially when compliance with Countryside Stewardship and Sustainable Farming Incentive agreements come into the mix. Destroying cover crops can be carried out in several ways including mechanical destruction, spraying with herbicides, winter injury (naturally through frost), and through grazing. Destroying the crop by grazing can maximise the return from cover crops by increasing livestock numbers or producing an additional income stream from renting out the land to graziers for a short period. 𝗚𝗿𝗮𝘇𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗼𝗳𝗳 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗽𝗿𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝘀𝗽𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗱𝗿𝗶𝗹𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗴: One of the main issues around destroying cover crops by grazing is compaction. Significant sub-surface compaction can occur, particularly when ground conditions are wet and poaching is more likely in high traffic areas such as around water troughs, feeders and gateways. Grazing smaller blocks with sufficient animals present to complete the grazing within 4-5 days is preferable, electric fencing should be utilised to create appropriate paddock sizes. Alternatively, strip grazing using a back fence works just as well. Remove livestock by late February, to allow time for regrowth to be sprayed before drilling the spring crop. Drill in mid to late March (or when conditions allow), to give plenty of time for the soil to warm up and dry out. First create a fine tilth for ideal conditions for seed germination and early plant growth, before drilling your spring crop 𝗙𝗼𝗿 𝗼𝗽𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻𝘀 𝗖𝗦𝗔𝗠𝟮 𝗠𝘂𝗹𝘁𝗶-𝘀𝗽𝗲𝗰𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗦𝗙𝗜 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗦𝗪𝟲 𝗪𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿 𝗰𝗿𝗼𝗽𝘀 𝘂𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁𝗿𝘆𝘀𝗶𝗱𝗲 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱𝘀𝗵𝗶𝗽: 🌱 You must not destroy it before the end of the winter months, unless you’re establishing an early-sown spring crop. 🌱 You must not destroy the multi-species cover crop more than 6 weeks before you establish the early-sown spring crop. 🌱 When you destroy the multi-species cover crop, you should try to minimise risks such as compaction, poaching, soil runoff or erosion.   [Image: Cattle grazing stubble turnips by Wes at Iford Estate ]

🎈 𝗧𝗼𝗱𝗮𝘆 𝗺𝗮𝗿𝗸𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝘀𝘁 𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝗼𝗳 𝗺𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗮𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗱𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗡𝗲𝘁 𝗚𝗮𝗶𝗻 𝗶𝗻 𝗘𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 🎉     Here are our 12 key take aways at the 12 month mark!   🌱 𝗛𝗮𝗯𝗶𝘁𝗮𝘁 𝗕𝗮𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴: 1. There are 43 gain sites (+1,200ha) on the Natural England Register, to provide units for offsetting, as of the beginning of Feb 2025. With more being onboarded. 2. There are 24 responsible bodies currently able to facilitate Conservation Covenant agreements (though many have restrictions on the type of ConCovs they will enter into). 3. Early constraints and opportunities assessment alongside optioneering work can prevent costly complications later down the line. 4. Achievable schemes are more favorable than ambitious ones. When creating a habitat bank, focus on attainable habitats taking all potential constraints into account. 5. BNG is more than numbers, pioneering investors are aligning BNG within their wider goals for ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) and sustainability strategies. (As seen through the emerging voluntary market eg. Homes for Nature, are-Nature credits etc). 6. There are still some initial agreement & land registry delays with getting sites set up and signed on to the register, this ought to be ironed out as more applications come forward. 7. Considering climate change is crucial to developing a robust and deliverable scheme, proposed habitats should be climate resilient for the delivery of long-term environmental benefits. 8. Consider Local and interim strategic significance guidance and emerging LNRS when identifying potential land for habitat banks. 🏡 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗗𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗼𝗽𝗺𝗲𝗻𝘁: 9. When working on a development project early collaboration between ecologists, landscape architects, developers and planning agents will result in more timely project success. 10. Roughly ¾ of developments are achieving BNG onsite, but this is skewed as early planning applications with BNG applied have typically been smaller. 11. When to apply exemptions (or not) is still a puzzling concept for many small site applicants, with many planning portal applicants claiming BNG does not apply to them. 12. Where developers aren’t getting round to implementing their on-site gains in the first year of the scheme they may need to re-baseline to account for a delay in habitat implementation (and therefor may require more units). There are many positive lessons learnt from the first year of BNG and many areas which could benefit from refinement, as is to expect within the first year of any innovative legislation. With continued roll out of the legislation we hope to see a symbiotic relationship develop between development and nature recovery. #biodiversitynetgain #planning #development #ecology #legislation #S106 #conservationcovenant #bng

It has been a busy week of farmer cluster events, bringing together SME’s, local organisations and land managers to discuss challenges faced by everyone involved in environmental management. Here are the highlights: 🌱 Eastern South Downs: Regenerative Agriculture discussion with David Cornforth, Richard Harding and Isabella Goggin 💧 Swale: Discussion on balancing future water needs of the environment, people and the horticulture sector with Mark Betson Lee Dance Priscilla Haselhurst Sam Hughes Olwen Belgrove 🌳 1066: Woodland management and the grants available with the forestry commission, forestry England and Till Hill. In total we have reached 40 farmers and sparked some interesting discussion #farmerclusters #facilitationfund #landmanagement

🐦 𝗧𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁 𝗶𝗻 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟱 𝗕𝗶𝗴 𝗙𝗮𝗿𝗺𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗕𝗶𝗿𝗱 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁, 𝗿𝘂𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗙𝗲𝗯𝗿𝘂𝗮𝗿𝘆 𝟳-𝟮𝟯 🐦   The Big Farmland Bird Count is an annual event that encourages farmers and land managers to record the bird species and numbers on their farms and surrounding land. It is organised by the Game & Wildlife Conservation Trust (GWCT) and sponsored by the National Farmers Union (NFU). The count provides farmers, landowners, and wildlife managers with a way of measuring the impact of their conservation efforts. 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗿𝗲𝗲 𝘀𝗶𝗺𝗽𝗹𝗲 𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗽𝘀 𝗯𝗲𝗹𝗼𝘄 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗽𝗮𝗿𝘁: 🐦 𝗗𝗼𝘄𝗻𝗹𝗼𝗮𝗱 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘀𝗵𝗲𝗲𝘁𝘀 Visit the GWCT big farmland birdcount website at 𝙝𝙩𝙩𝙥𝙨://𝙬𝙬𝙬.𝙗𝙛𝙗𝙘.𝙤𝙧𝙜.𝙪𝙠/𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚-𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩/𝙝𝙤𝙬-𝙩𝙤-𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚-𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙩/ to download and print the helpful count sheet. 🦅 𝗖𝗼𝘂𝗻𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗯𝗶𝗿𝗱𝘀 On one day between the 7th and 23rd February spent 30 minutes recording the species and number of birds seen on one particular area of the farm, around 2 ha of the farm would be ideal. 🪿𝗦𝘂𝗯𝗺𝗶𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗿𝗲𝘀𝘂𝗹𝘁𝘀 𝗼𝗻𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 You can submit your Big Farmland Bird Count results quickly and easily online once the count begins on 7 February 2025. For more information and to sign up visit: https://lnkd.in/eA_7RZK

2024 – A year in Birds Each January we collate the records of birds sighted over the previous 12 months. 2024 has been an exceptional year, with a total of 148 species observed, some in huge numbers, others passing through. Of these 77 (52%) had conservation status, 13 were new entrants into the all-time list bringing the total on that list to 177 with 95 having conservation status.   We were very excited in May to welcome a pair of White Storks for a week or so, while work by Rachel Bicker for the Scrubland Superheroes Project identified 2 pairs of breeding Nightingales, a first for Iford, and a sighting of an American Golden Plover over the summer was surely one of the rarest records. As usual the diversity of raptors was astounding, with Marsh and Hen Harriers regularly seen, Barn Owls appear to have had a recovery after the bird flu of 2022 and 2023 and the kites and buzzards are never far away. The receding flood waters in the spring created ideal breeding habitats for lapwing, greenshank and a probable redshank as well, with numbers far exceeding anything we’ve noted before. Ironically many of the chicks were used as hunting practice for the juvenile Peregrines – nature is a cruel beast! There is no doubt that Iford is a key stopping point for migrants as they make their journey south, waves of migrants come and go throughout the Autumn, while residents seem to be thriving on the diverse habitats found on the Estate. Ongoing work to create new habitats and enhance existing ones can only help, and as our BNG scheme gathers pace we are looking forward to more and more sightings in the years to come. CLM Ltd Graeme Lyons Anthony Weston Sarah Westbrook South Downs National Park Authority Neve Clatworthy Photo credit - Ben Taylor, Brian Cox