Summary of the Spains Hall Estate

Spains Hall Estate is a 2,000-acre estate in Essex which has been integrating environmental land management under its current Estate Manager, Archie Ruggles-Brise. In 2022 the Estate embarked on a 50+ year habitat creation programme and has been generating Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units for sale to local developers. The Estate plans to generate over 500 BNG units over 100 hectares.

The Estate was part of Natural England’s Biodiversity Net Gain pilot, which gave access to funding and project support including an ecologist to help develop a farm management plan and an external valuer to help with financial planning. The Estate is implementing a variety of interventions to create a diversity of habitat types including ponds, orchards, grasslands and wetlands.

Farm Profile:

• Location: Essex
• Size of Land: 2000 acres
• Tenancy & Ownership: Owner/Occupier
• Nature Market Focus: Biodiversity Net Gain
• Interventions: Habitat creation and restoration: orchards, ponds, wetlands, woodlands, scrub, grassland
• Project Partners: Atkins, Environment Agency, Natural England