Bridge Farm | BNG Units in East Suffolk

Bridge Farm Biodiversity Gain Site hero image showing agricultural and woodland land with a small river in East Suffolk, located within the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area.

Bridge Farm is an Integrated Land Management (ILM) biodiversity gain site in East Suffolk, positioned within the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area.

The site delivers Wet Woodland, Traditional Orchards and Lowland Meadows, generating biodiversity units across high and very high distinctiveness categories. Together, these habitats provide developers with a specialist mix of woodland, orchard and grassland units from a single habitat bank.

Bridge Farm combines three habitat types that are often difficult to source together from a single biodiversity gain site: Lowland Meadows, Traditional Orchards and Wet Woodland. This combination makes the site particularly relevant for developments requiring higher-distinctiveness habitats through one off-site BNG allocation, potentially reducing the need to procure units from multiple habitat banks.

An approved Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan is in place and the site is registered on the Biodiversity Gain Sites Register under reference BGS-160125001, with units available for allocation.

Key Facts

  • BSG Reference: BGS-160125001

  • Local Planning Authority (LPA): East Suffolk

  • National Character Area (NCA): South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands

  • (LNRS): Suffolk

  • HMMP: Yes

  • Legal Agreement: Section 106

  • Status: Registered

  • Total units (indicative): 35.45

Overview

Bridge Farm is an Integrated Land Management (ILM) Biodiversity Gain Site located within the East Suffolk Local Planning Authority and the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area.

The habitat bank delivers Traditional Orchards, Lowland Meadows and Wet Woodland, generating biodiversity units across high and very high distinctiveness habitat categories. The range of habitats available enables developers to source multiple habitat types from a single registered site where appropriate.

The site is fully registered on the Biodiversity Gain Site Register, with an approved Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan secured through a Section 106 Agreement, providing long-term certainty for habitat delivery and management.

The following units are currently available from Bridge Farm. Availability may change as units are allocated to live projects.

Units Available

Broad habitat Habitat Distinctiveness Available units
Grassland Traditional Orchards High 4.16
Grassland Lowland Meadows Very High 27.70
Woodland and forest Wet Woodland High 3.53

With over 35 indicative biodiversity units available across woodland and grassland habitats, Bridge Farm provides developers with access to both high and very high distinctiveness units from a single registered Biodiversity Gain Site.

Coverage

Bridge Farm sits within East Suffolk Council and the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area, making it well placed to support developments across neighbouring planning authorities and landscape areas. Projects within the surrounding LPAs, NCAs and LNRS areas may also be be able to utilise units from this habitat bank, subject to Biodiversity Net Gain trading rules, spatial risk and project-specific assessment.

Coverage

Neighbouring LPAs Neighbouring NCAs Neighbouring LNRS Areas
Great Yarmouth Mid Norfolk Cambridgeshire and Peterborough
South Norfolk South Suffolk and North Essex Clayland Greater Essex
Ipswich Suffolk Coast and Heaths Norfolk
Mid Suffolk The Brecks
The Broads Authority The Broads

Suitable For

Bridge Farm may be suitable for developments within East Suffolk and neighbouring authorities. Suitability depends on the Biodiversity Metric, habitat requirements, Biodiversity Net Gain trading rules and the applicable spatial risk multiplier.

  • Developments requiring high and very high distinctiveness habitat units

  • Projects seeking both woodland and grassland habitats from a single habitat bank

  • Residential developments

  • Commercial developments

  • Infrastructure projects

  • Schemes within or near the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area

Developments This Site May Support

Bridge Farm may be suitable for developers within:

  • East Suffolk

  • Mid Suffolk

  • Babergh

  • Ipswich

  • Broadland

  • South Norfolk

Developments within these neighbouring authorities may be able to utilise units from this habitat bank, subject to project-specific assessment, Biodiversity Net Gain trading rules and the applicable spatial risk multiplier.

The site’s location within the Suffolk Local Nature Recovery Strategy area may also become increasingly relevant as Biodiversity Net Gain policy continues to transition towards LNRS-based strategic significance and spatial risk considerations.

BNG Suitability

Developers seeking BNG units in East Suffolk may find Bridge Farm particularly suitable where projects require a combination of high and very high distinctiveness habitats. The site provides biodiversity units across woodland and grassland habitat types, supporting developments that need to satisfy BNG trading rules through appropriate habitat replacement or trading up where required.

It’s location within the South Norfolk and High Suffolk Claylands National Character Area may support compliance with spatial risk multiplier considerations for developments within the same National Character Area or nearby locations, subject to the latest Statutory Biodiversity Metric guidance and project-specific assessment. As BNG policy continues to evolve, the site’s position within the Suffolk Local Nature Recover area may become increasingly relevant when considering strategic significance.

Enquire About BNG Units

If you are seeking off-site biodiversity units in Leicestershire or the surrounding area, contact ILM to discuss availability. Providing your biodiversity metric and development details will help the team confirm suitability and identify the units best matched to your projects.

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Last updated: September 2026

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