Craven Arms gas site achieves major wildlife accolade

A Cadent gas pressure management site in Craven Arms has secured The Wildlife Trusts' Biodiversity Benchmark for land management, marking a major environmental milestone for the UK's largest gas distribution network.

The site is located in the small market town known as the Gateway to the Marches on the edge of the Shropshire Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is the latest Cadent location to gain this accreditation.

Cadent says this will be the first of many sites in the region, with others already progressing through assessment.

The Craven Arms site ensures gas safely reaches homes and businesses across south Shropshire by managing gas pressure and supporting reliable heating for thousands of customers.

The site is surrounded by grassland, hedgerows, woodland, and habitats supporting birds, bats, and other protected species, which were highlighted in ecological assessments of the wider area.

This combination of operational importance and environmental sensitivity made the site an ideal Biodiversity Benchmark candidate.

Following detailed onsite visits, The Wildlife Trusts' Biodiversity Benchmark assessor praised the positive steps already taken by Cadent's local team and endorsed the company's future plans for the site.

These include planting native trees and hedgerows, enhancing grassland to support pollinators, creating improved habitats for bats and breeding birds, and developing features for long-term biodiversity net gain.

The assessor will return periodically to monitor progress and ensure continued compliance with the Benchmark's standards.

Phil McCartney, Head of Safety and Engineering at Cadent, said: "We are incredibly proud to have achieved the Biodiversity Benchmark at Craven Arms. It reflects the hard work of our teams and our commitment to operating in a way that supports the landscapes and communities we serve. Our role is to keep people warm in their homes while protecting the planet."

Emma Price-Thomas, Head of Corporate Partnerships at The Wildlife Trusts, congratulated Cadent for achieving the challenging standard, saying it shows that protecting and enhancing biodiversity is possible even when the site is small.