Nattergal partners with National Grid to deliver landmark biodiversity uplift for North London Reinforcement Project
● National Grid chooses Harold’s Park Wildland in Essex to help fulfil Biodiversity Net Gain obligations for major London grid upgrade.
● The BNG units will deliver a 10% biodiversity uplift for substation work carried out on the North London Reinforcement Project.
● The units purchased will establish new habitats of ecological value, support species recovery, and improve ecological resilience.
Essex, UK – [23.6.26] – Nattergal, the UK-based Nature restoration company, has announced a partnership with National Grid to deliver offsite Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) for the North London Reinforcement (NLR) project – a critical upgrade to London’s electricity infrastructure as part of The Great Grid Upgrade.
With no available land for on-site BNG delivery, National Grid sought the support of Nattergal to provide an offsite solution that can fulfil the breadth of their requirements whilst meaningfully contributing to local Nature recovery.
The NLR project will upgrade the high-voltage electricity transmission network across north and central London, replacing infrastructure built in the 1960s to allow more home-grown electricity to flow through the network, strengthening energy security and supporting growing demand. In the process of securing the UK’s energy future, National Grid is committed to delivering at least 10% uplift in biodiversity across all construction projects, in line with its Environmental Action Plan.
This collaboration underscores Nattergal’s strength in delivering a mosaic of habitat units through Nature recovery at scale. It marks a milestone as the first Great Grid Upgrade project to secure offsite BNG units. Nattergal will deliver the BNG units through its flagship rewilding site at Harold’s Park Wildland in Essex – a 206-hectare landscape which is creating 850 BNG units within view of the London skyline.
Although currently ecologically degraded, Harold’s Park Wildland contains biodiversity hotspots, including ancient woodland, ponds, and veteran trees, which means the site is ripe for rewilding. National Grid's investment will help enable Nattergal’s plans to enhance these features, establish new habitats of ecological value, and reconnect fragmented areas, supporting species recovery and improving ecological resilience at landscape-scale.
Kat Stanhope, Strategic BNG Manager at National Grid, said: “By investing in Harold’s Park Wildland, we are securing London’s energy future while also helping to restore habitats, support biodiversity, and create lasting environmental improvements that will benefit both Nature and communities for generations to come. With no space for on-site BNG delivery, we chose to partner with Nattergal due to Harold’s Park Wildland’s proximity to the substations while ensuring that our biodiversity net gain delivers the greatest value.
Claire Traynor, Chief Commercial Officer of Nattergal, said: “Our partnership with National Grid is a powerful example of how national infrastructure development and Nature recovery can go hand in hand. We are proud to be delivering off-site biodiversity gains for the North London Reinforcement project, and creating a path for how nationally significant infrastructure projects can contribute to meaningful and long-term National biodiversity goals.”
Further information about Nattergal can be found at https://www.nattergal.com/.
Pictures of Harold’s Park Wildland can be downloaded here. Please credit the photographers named in the folders.
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