APPOINTMENTS & COMPANY NEWS 49
Wates Wildscape: Reimagining the balance between housing and habitats
Turning BNG from Burden to Opportunity
As England accelerates plans to deliver 1.5 million new homes by 2029, developers face a diffi cult challenge: balancing the demand for housing with the urgent need to restore our natural environment. Wates Land and Development (WL&D) is leading the way in solving that challenge with the launch of Wates Wildscape – a bold new venture dedicated to delivering nature-based solutions for developers across England.
A clear route through BNG complexity Wates Wildscape was created in response to the ongoing challenges faced by developers struggling to navigate Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). Combining Wates’ expertise in planning and development with its passion for sustainability, it offers end-to-end support for developers navigating the purchase of offsite BNG units, ensuring planning conditions are discharged quickly and effi ciently. Created by developers, for developers, Wates Wildscape is a trusted and reliable route to meeting nature-related planning obligations that delivers for housebuilders, planning authorities and nature.
maize fi eld is being transformed into a rich mosaic of grassland, scrub, hedgerows, wet woodland and ponds. Bordering the River Medway,
fully invested in ensuring the BNG market functions properly, to improve the world around us for future generations.”
the site includes high-quality riparian planting and the removal of invasive species – ensuring the scheme both generates much-needed watercourse units for the BNG market and improves water quality. This is not mitigation by numbers; it is nature recovery and long-term stewardship, creating thriving habitats that strengthen biodiversity and environmental resilience.
Expertise with purpose “We are acutely aware that nature is struggling, and we want to play a more direct part in helping it recover,” says Olivia Dear, sustainability and wates wildscape director at WL&D. “Wates Wildscape is our way of reimagining the balance between housing and habitats. By creating off-site, nature- based BNG solutions, we are providing high-quality, assured and sustainable options for the industry to meet its obligations and ultimately,
ensure
Building habitats that lift local ecosystems At the heart of Wates Wildscape is the creation of high-quality, ecologically valuable habitat sites. The division’s fi rst habitat site, sitting in the Tunbridge Wells Borough Council and the High Weald National Character Area, brings Wates’ ambition to life. A former 17-hectare
nature
For David Brocklebank, executive managing director of WL&D, the initiative is integral to the business’ long-term strategy: “Wates Wildscape is more than a business initiative; it is an integral part of our sustainability strategy. We are combining our strategic land expertise, our commitment to the environment and our expert
knowledge
of planning and development to help our sector meet environmental targets whilst also supporting local nature recovery. We are
A partner developers can trust Wates Wildscape is structured to give developers confi dence: credible sites, robust design, and a straightforward route to compliant off-site BNG units. By aligning planning expertise with ecological ambition, the division helps to de-risk programmes, discharge planning conditions effi ciently and deliver tangible benefi ts for nature. As additional habitat sites come to market, each will be shaped to enhance its natural context and support the broader vision of places, planet and people thriving together.
Make nature part of your development story To discuss how Wates Wildscape can support your next scheme, please send an email, or for more on Wates Land and Development and the Wates Wildscape offer, visit the website.
thrives.”
wateswildscape@wates.co.uk www.wates.co.uk/wates-wildscape
ADF OCTOBER 2025
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