The headline: a £100 million market

When we published our June 2025 report, we estimated the BNG market at around £33 million annually in 2025. Twelve months on, our analysis puts it at approximately £93 million for 2026.

That's nearly three times the size, one year on. Our long-term view remains that the BNG market has the potential to exceed £500 million annually by 2035.

What's new in this report:

• Pricing data meets allocation data - for the first time

  • By combining our proprietary pricing database with Natural England's allocation data, we can now analyse the market not just by price, but by volume, geography, and habitat type - all in one place. 

• The most purchased habitat types - a league table

  • For the first time, we can show which habitats are actually being bought, not just priced. 

• The North is outperforming

  • Northern England has fewer habitat banks than the South - 71 versus 149 - yet it accounts for a larger share of market activity by both allocation volume and estimated revenue (£42.5 million versus £38.9 million in the South).

• LNRS zones: more competition is coming

  • In some areas where developers currently have one or two supplier options, they may soon find seven or eight habitat banks able to service the same development.

What this means if you're buying BNG units

The market is bigger, more transparent, and more competitive than it was a year ago. That's positive for developers. But navigating it still requires expertise - knowing where units genuinely exist, which suppliers are commercially reliable, and how to secure the right match for your specific project requirements.