A habitat bank aiming to increase biodiversity and reduce river pollution has been created in south Oxfordshire.

It is the first of its kind in the district and received support from South Oxfordshire District Council.

The council worked with the Trust for Oxfordshire’s Environment and a local landowner to transform 16.5 acres of intensively farmed land off Windmill Lane, Towersey.

The area will become a mix of grassland, scrub, and woodland habitats, providing a sanctuary for wildlife including pollinators, water voles, curlews, and barn owls.

The habitat bank will also provide the landowner with a stable income through biodiversity net gain - where developers buy biodiversity 'credits' from habitat banks to offset building works.

This will make the rest of the landowner's farm business more resilient in the face of climate change.

The landowner first heard about biodiversity net gain at a farm innovation show in 2022.

They said: "Turning some land over to biodiversity net gain helps the environment and creates a steady income that is not as dependent on weather conditions and price fluctuations, which have affected the farm business recently.

"High input prices (from fertiliser, pesticides, and machinery costs) and low grain prices have made farming very volatile in recent years and things needed to change.

“The farm has tried to become more regenerative recently by incorporating livestock within the arable rotation to reduce its need for inorganic fertilisers and chemicals.

"The habitat bank will reduce our need for labour and machinery on the farm and will hopefully improve water quality in the area and increase wildlife populations."

The site is next to the Thame Valley Conservation Target Area, a crucial area for nature recovery.

In the coming decades, the land will be managed to encourage the growth of wildflowers.

This will create habitats and food for a range of species in an arable-dominated landscape.

Removing the land from intensive farming will also reduce the amount of chemicals and sediment flowing into the Cuttle Brook, one of the River Thame's main tributaries, thereby improving its health.

Councillor Anne-Marie Simpson, South Oxfordshire District Council's cabinet member for planning, said: "Increasing biodiversity and promoting nature recovery are council priorities.

"The creation of new habitat banks benefits the natural world, the landowners, and our residents.

“By securing this habitat bank through a legal agreement we will ensure that biodiversity gains generated by development in South Oxfordshire will stay in our district, contributing to nature’s recovery.

"We’re delighted that this land is to be transformed at Towersey and hope it is the first of many."