The first full year at Devana  

In our first calendar year at Devana, a significant highlight and milestone is the announcement that the project is one of the first sites in England to be registered on the National Register for Biodiversity Net Gain. This enables us to sell Biodiversity Net Gain units on the site and to continue to reinvest in nature with purchases from companies such as the Cambridge Investment Partnership whose purchase will help create a new community of 75 affordable homes that take advantage of green technology, such as air source heat pumps, and incorporates biodiverse green roofs.

• Devana Centre for Environmental Recovery is Section 106 Approved and on the Natural England Biodiversity Site Register. 

2024 has seen several stages of work completed to progress the scheme which led to Devana’s section 106 agreement, including the completion of baseline surveys and BNG calculations. However, interestingly there have also been habitat establishment works taking place which include: 

• 17ac Woodland
• 30ac Scrub
• 45ac Species-rich grassland
• 1.5km Hedgerow
• 2.5ac Orchard 

To enable these, our on-site teams had to plant temporary grass cover to prevent erosion and improve soil quality, whilst also providing temporary food sources for pollinators.  

This process also involved taking two nutrient strip crops to reduce the nutrient level in the topsoil to improve conditions for wildflowers and native grass establishments. 

Finally, we have also seen a range of teams join us on-site and use their volunteer days to be part of nature's recovery. We have a long-standing tradition of teams joining us at Wildfell and are pleased to see this continue at Devana.