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Nunthorpe nutrient bank
This scheme supplies nitrogen credits to developments that drain to the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast catchment. We own the land freehold and the mitigation is secured in perpetuity.
Exact location shared on enquiry.
- Mitigation
- Nitrogen credits
- Catchment
- Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast
- Developments supplied
- 3
- Protection
- In perpetuity
About the scheme
The nitrogen credits come from the same land as our Nunthorpe habitat bank at Morton Grange Farm, east of Nunthorpe. The farm was mostly arable, and the fertiliser it needed drained through the Main Stell beck to the Tees and on to the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area, where excess nitrogen is damaging the protected habitats.
Taking the arable fields out of production and turning them into scrub, orchard and species-rich grassland removes that load for good. The reduction is calculated using Natural England’s methodology for the catchment and sold as credits to developments that drain to the same protected site.
The nutrient mitigation is secured in perpetuity, with the land use change monitored and reported to Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council.
How the mitigation works
- Arable reversion
- Arable fields taken out of production and turned to scrub, orchard and grassland, which stops the fertiliser that used to drain to the Tees.
- Grassland and scrub
- Permanent cover that holds the soil and needs no fertiliser.
- Beck and ditch banks
- Enhanced banks along the Main Stell beck, its tributary and the ditch.
Catchment
Nutrient credits can only offset development in the same catchment. The shaded area is the Natural England nutrient neutrality catchment for the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast; other nutrient neutrality catchments are in lighter green. The dot shows the general location of the scheme.
Which developments it can serve
Credits only offset development that drains to the same protected site, so this scheme serves developments in the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast catchment. Send us the site location and a nutrient budget, or we will calculate one, and we’ll confirm the same day.
Who stands behind the obligation
- The land
- We own the land freehold, with no lease and no third-party landowner.
- The covenant
- A conservation covenant or planning obligation protecting each site in perpetuity, registered against the title.
- Responsible Body
- An independent Responsible Body or the local authority can step in if we ever fail to deliver.
- The endowment
- Long-term management is funded by an endowment set aside at allocation.
- Financial strength
- We have £56.5m of capital for land and habitat, and are rated Very Low Risk with an international credit score of A. That capital lets us buy land and create habitat before your programme needs it, and fund its management for the long term.
Check availability at Nunthorpe nutrient bank
Send us the site location and a nutrient budget, and we’ll send back a quote.