Work has officially begun to transform the 268-hectare former Potland Burn mining site, north of Ashington, into a landmark nature recovery and biodiversity project. The initiative marks a major step forward for Northumberland in environmental restoration and sustainable development.
Led by Advance Green Futures, the sustainability-focused division of Advance Northumberland, the project will redevelop the site into a complex mosaic of habitats at a landscape scale. This diverse mix of habitats, including grassland, scrub, and ponds at this huge scale allows the habitat bank to be used to compensate for the loss of rare and hard to create habitats such as open mosaic habitats found on brownfield sites.
This innovative approach will not only deliver measurable improvements in biodiversity but also provide biodiversity net gain (BNG) units for developers, helping them meet national environmental requirements.
The habitat bank will create new spaces for wildlife and demonstrate how industrial land can be repurposed for nature recovery while contributing to economic growth.
Initial works are already underway, focusing on land preparation and habitat creation.
William Thompson, Director of Governance and Sustainability at Advance Northumberland, said: “Potland Burn has incredible potential to deliver large-scale, meaningful environmental regeneration. As a regeneration organisation, the start of onsite works is a significant milestone in a carefully planned programme that will restore habitats, enhance biodiversity, and create a landscape that builds a better future for all.”
The project forms the first phase of Advance Green Futures, a county-wide programme supporting landscape-scale nature recovery.
Mr Thompson added: “Under the national biodiversity net gain rules introduced in 2024, most new developments must deliver at least a 10 per cent improvement in biodiversity. Habitat banks like Potland Burn allow North East developers to meet these requirements while funding long-term environmental restoration.”
In addition to habitat creation, advanced ecological monitoring technology will be used to track species recovery, habitat health, and environmental changes across the site.
Ann Deary-Francis, Head of Ecology at Advance Northumberland, said: “We hope to attract a wide range of species to Potland Burn by creating a diverse mix of habitats that will support the smallest invertebrate to large mammals and birds of prey.”
“The habitat bank is a real example of how regeneration can deliver multiple benefits such as restoring landscapes, attracting wildlife, supporting sustainable and affordable development, and opening new opportunities in emerging environmental markets.”
