At Crosby Granger Architects, we have decades of experience working with the owners of large estates across the UK.
We understand the challenges of managing complex, multi-layered properties and use that expertise to identify strengths, unlock potential, and develop strategies that work for all stakeholders.

We recognise each estate as an interconnected system—balancing land, heritage, biodiversity, housing, farming, and community—and take a holistic approach that helps estates define a clear, sustainable vision for their future.
In this article we explore how economic viability underpins the sustainable future of rural estates—balancing commercial opportunity with the preservation of heritage, landscape and local character.

Delivering net gains in biodiversity

Through the Whole Estate Plan, we demonstrated how adjustments to farming practices and woodland management could deliver net gains in biodiversity, which is now required for planning applications.

By mapping the entire estate, we were also able to show how the estate could sell Carbon Credits to third parties, allowing them to meet their biodiversity net gain obligations. For example, if a developer in a nearby town cannot achieve sufficient on-site biodiversity enhancements such as tree planting, Higham Estate could provide the necessary offset within its own land.

Local community groups are already in the process of being invited to participate in tree planting initiatives on the estate, an approach that not only delivers biodiversity benefits but also encourages locals to get outdoors and help create green corridors throughout the estate.

We identified a range of sites for trees and biodiversity enhancements across the estate — these include an active travel route along the A66 which will be a green corridor with a cycleway; or on the River Derwent where we can create a buffer edge which also helps to move grazing away from the riverbank to improve nutrient neutrality, while replacing lost elements of the historic parkland estate.

We always pay close attention to an estate’s unique stories and history, recognising the value they bring to development. This is not about ‘parachuting in’ a generic development onto a site. At Higham, we intend to deliver change that is very much Cumbrian through and through.

Bearing in mind that Higham sits within a National Park which is also a World Heritage Site, it was essential to create a WEP that is not only sensitive to its setting but world-class in its ambition and delivery. The plan aligns closely with the park authority’s own long-term vision for conservation, sustainable tourism and community resilience, ensuring that we contribute positively to the wider aims of the National Park.

Delivering a plan that respects heritage, supports the local community, enhances biodiversity and ensures economic viability requires not only vision but also expert input across a wide range of disciplines.