Land Agent in County Durham: Understanding Biodiversity Net Gain

Rural land management across County Durham is changing rapidly. New environmental legislation, ongoing development pressure, and evolving land use opportunities mean landowners and farmers are facing more complex decisions than ever before. Making the right choices now is essential to protecting your land and securing its long-term value in an increasingly competitive rural property market.

A rural land agent plays a vital role in helping landowners plan for the future. While land agents have traditionally focused on farming and estate management, their role has expanded significantly. Today, landowners require a broader professional service that brings together land management, planning insight, and environmental expertise.

At Collington Winter, we support landowners throughout County Durham, helping them respond to change and unlock new opportunities from their land.

A land agent’s role will depend on your objectives, but typically includes:

• Land valuation and sales – Valuing farms, estates, and rural property, managing sales and acquisitions, and negotiating on your behalf.
• Planning advice – Supporting planning applications, advising on land use strategy, and identifying development potential where appropriate.
• Environmental advice – Assisting landowners with environmental schemes, grants, subsidies, and Biodiversity Net Gain(BNG).
• Compliance support – Ensuring land complies with legal, planning, and environmental regulations.
• Estate management – Providing long-term strategic advice to protect and enhance the value of rural estates.

As chartered surveyors, land agents provide regulated and trusted advice, giving landowners confidence when making important decisions about their land and property.

Biodiversity net gain is now a legal requirement under the Environment Act 2021, with most major developments required to deliver at least a 10% increase in biodiversity.

Where developers are unable to achieve this uplift on-site, they must secure biodiversity units elsewhere. This has created a valuable new income opportunity for landowners across County Durham.

Landowners can generate biodiversity units by creating or enhancing habitats, planting native species, restoring grassland, or improving woodland management. These enhancements are measured using DEFRA’s biodiversity metric and recorded on the national BNG Market Register, ensuring schemes are transparent, regulated, and long-term.

A habitat bank is an area of land – often lower-grade or less productive farmland – managed to deliver measurable biodiversity improvements for a minimum of 30 years. The resulting biodiversity units can then be sold to developers to meet their BNG requirements.

Landownership remains unchanged. A habitat bank offers a reliable, long-term income stream while allowing land to be managed sustainably alongside other farming or estate activities.

BNG can be complex, particularly for landowners new to environmental schemes. Professional advice is essential to ensure schemes are viable, compliant, and deliver long-term value.

At Collington Winter, we support landowners by:

• Assessing whether land is suitable for BNG
• Identifying how many biodiversity units could be generated
• Estimating potential long-term income
• Setting up and negotiating agreements with developers
• Ensuring schemes meet DEFRA standards and planning requirements

With the right guidance, landowners can be confident their land delivers both environmental benefits and sustainable financial returns.

Our experienced rural land agents and ecologists work closely with landowners and developers across County Durham and the North of England. We provide clear, practical advice grounded in strong knowledge and detailed expertise in biodiversity net gain and environmental land use.

To speak with a land agent in County Durham, contact Collington Winter Environmental at info@collingtonwinter.co.uk or call 01204 939 608.