Sleight Farm: the starting point for Biofarm
We didn’t set out to create a flagship BNG site. Sleight Farm was first and foremost a land investment and family farm. It was only once we’d bought it, and had an ecologist walk the site, that BNG came onto our radar. As it happens, that ecologist was Dominic, who is now on our board.
From there, things grew quickly. We could see how Sleight could be managed for biodiversity, and how the same approach might work for other landowners. And as property investors, how this could work for developers, too. What began as a single farm investment became the starting point for Biofarm. A vision not just to restore this farm, but to create a model for how BNG could be done fairly, at scale, across England.
A place with history, and potential
After a year of searching, and more than 50 farms later, we found Sleight, which offered everything we were looking for. 175 acres on the Mendip Hills with views stretching to Bath and the Severn. A place rich in geology, springs and veteran oaks, with a mosaic of grassland, hedgerows and woodland. It had great local history too. Under its previous owner, Mary Holbrook, it was known for award-winning goats’ cheese and community classes.
What’s happening on the ground
At Sleight, we’re restoring natural processes through minimum intervention. The work began in 2023. Sheep were taken off, allowing hedgerows to thicken. Fences came down so wildlife could roam more freely. Grasslands were cut and taken, reducing nutrient pools in the soil and creating space for wildflowers to return.
By 2024, Longhorn cattle and Tamworth pigs were on site, followed by Exmoor ponies in 2025. These proxies for native species shape the land in natural ways through grazing: trampling seed into soil and breaking up scrub. Hydrology work has paved the way for wetland restoration, with leaky dams and reopened springs now reconnecting water across the site. We removed invasive species such as laurel and rhododendron, while planting new oaks alongside the veteran trees already there.
And the results are beginning to show. Wildlife such as willow warblers have already been spotted on site. It’s early days in what will be decades of restoration, but the land is already answering back.
Lessons learned along the way
Patience has been key. We wanted to start rewilding the moment we took ownership, but ecological restoration demands time and planning. Weather remains a constant challenge, requiring plans to shift month by month. Removing fences caused short-term headaches for livestock management. But thanks to patience and excellent animal stewardship from our farm manager, James, we’re benefitting from the payoff of a healthier, more dynamic landscape.
Most importantly, this process has confirmed the importance of teamwork and partnerships. Having the right ecologists, like Simon and Evie on our team, as well as great farm managers and the ability to work openly with the parish council, local authority and neighbours, has all made progress possible.
As our Co-Founder and CFO, Andy Brainin, puts it though, the biggest lesson is that having free-roaming, wild animals on a site should always make you think carefully about where you pitch your tent!
Rooted in community
The farm has always been a fixture in local life, and we’re keen to keep it that way. Mary’s tradition of welcoming people to the site continues. The parish council has visited to see our plans, the local authority is set to use the farm for their team offsite and the public footpath means dog walkers and birdwatchers can regularly pass through and enjoy the landscape.
Soon, there will also be other community-led programmes aimed to help people learn, share and see the investment in nature come to life.
An open invitation
We’re on an enjoyable journey of leaving our land better than we found it. It shows what happens when you manage land for nature with the same rigour as any other investment.
For us, it’s about proving that development and biodiversity don’t need to be in conflict, they can grow side by side. At Sleight Farm, habitat units are already supporting a number of developers to deliver their projects while restoring ecosystems. It’s a working model of how BNG, done properly, can restore ecosystems, support communities and unlock long-term value.
If you’d like to see how BNG looks in practice, get in touch with us to come and visit Sleight.