Content

Salford City Council – Record of
Decision
 
I, Councillor Jack Youd, Deputy City Mayor and
Lead Member for Finance, Support Services and Regeneration in
exercise of the powers contained within the City Council
constitution and in consultation
with Cabinet, do hereby:
 
a)   
Note, the proposal to utilise the ‘Responsible Body’
route offered by GMCA for the purpose of creating and selling
Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units on Council owned land;
b)   
Approve the selection and designation of up to five sites proposed
for habitat bank creation as detailed in section 3 of the report;
and
c)   
Delegate authority to the Executive Director of Place to finalise
the designation and delivery of the sites selected for habitat bank
creation, including the timing of bringing the sites to market and
the signing of Conservation Covenants with GMCA.
 
The Reasons are
In order to facilitate the creation of
biodiversity credits on city council land, creating improvements in
biodiversity and benefits for Salford residents, as well as
facilitating development within Salford and contributing to the
long term management of some of the city’s greenspaces.
Assessment of Risk
is medium
There is some risk because this is a new area
of work for the council. The risk is mitigated because the
Responsible Body chosen is GMCA, a trusted partner and by careful
preparation in terms of research into costs, habitat measures and
the emerging market. Not taking action would result in the
continued loss of biodiversity unit sales to habitat banks outside
the city, including when the council itself needs to purchase units
to facilitate its own development.
 
The source of funding for the
GMCA subscription will initially be from the Regeneration core
revenue budget, where sufficient contingency provision is available
to absorb the costs. Once the scheme is operational, income
generated from the sale of BNG units will be used to fund the
ongoing subscription
 
Legal Advice obtained from: Robert Irvine –
Manchester City Council Legal and Democratic Services
 
The legal implications of determining that up
to five council-owned sites should be used as habitat banks are set
out in the body of the report. In particular, there will be a need
to secure any of those sites being brought forward as a habitat
bank through an appropriate legal mechanism, such as the proposed
Conservation Covenants. The precise details and implications of
those conservation covenants will be the subject of negotiation on
a site-by-site basis, the consideration and determination of which
is proposed to be delegated to the Executive Director of Place, but
the broad principles are outlined in the report.
 
Financial Advice obtained from: Ethan Bestwick –
Accountant
 
The report sets out that this is a new area of
activity for the council, and the wider market for Biodiversity Net
Gain (BNG) credits is still at an early stage of development. As a
result, prices per unit may fluctuate as more credits become
available to the market. However, using the indicative values
referenced in Annex 2 of the report, the model demonstrates, based
on current market conditions that this project would generate more
than enough income to cover its costs. In fact, the price per unit
could drop 30% and the scheme would still remain financially
viable.
The initial financial risk to the council
arises from the upfront expenditure required to prepare the sites,
secure the necessary assessments, and verify the number of units
available. If no units were subsequently sold, these costs would
not be recovered. While this scenario cannot be ruled out, it is
considered unlikely given the evidenced demand for BNG units within
the region.
 
Procurement Advice obtained:
N/A
 
The following documents have been used to
assist the decision process:
 

Greater Manchester Local Authority Briefing Note
– Off-Site Biodiversity Net Gain Responsible Body Service
(12th December 2025; made publicly available 5th December
2025)
DDN for the Responsible Body
Service

 
Contact Officers:
Fiona Fryer:                          
01617796044
Jo Regan:                             
07977248959
 

The appropriate scrutiny committee to call-in
the decision Growth and Prosperity Scrutiny Panel.

 
Signed: Councillor Jack Youd      
Deputy City Mayor and Lead Member for Finance,
Support Services and Regeneration
Dated: 9th March 2026
 
 
*          
This decision was published on
Monday 9th March 2026                                             
*          
This decision will come in force at 4.00 p.m. on Monday
16th March 2026 unless it is called-in in accordance with the
Decision Making Process Rules.