Triodos Bank UK finances ambitious new nature restoration project in Northumberland

Triodos Bank UK has provided senior debt finance to support the purchase of the Emblehope & Burngrange Estate in Northumberland by nature restoration company RESTORE. The acquisition will enable the long-term restoration of a 7,500-acre landscape dedicated entirely to restoring natural processes. 

Located in Northumberland, the project aims to restore natural ecological processes across the landscape. Planned restoration activities include rewetting approximately 800 hectares of degraded peatland, restoring areas of lost or degraded vegetation and creating low-intensity grazing systems to support greater habitat diversity. Over time, the landscape is expected to develop into a mosaic of open water, bog, scrub, dwarf trees and floral glades shaped by natural processes. 

The acquisition of Emblehope has been supported by a blended finance structure that combines philanthropy, private equity and senior debt within a single Special Purpose Vehicle. The financing model is thought to be one of the first integrated applications of this kind for land acquisition for nature restoration in England. 

A key focus of the project is peatland restoration. By blocking historic drainage channels and restoring natural hydrology, the project aims to increase water retention across the site and reduce downstream flood risk. Modelling suggests the restored peatland could ultimately store around 100,000 cubic metres of additional water – equivalent to approximately 40 Olympic swimming pools, or the annual water consumption of 700 households. 

As habitat conditions improve, species including curlew, golden eagle and common crane are expected to recolonise naturally. Where ecological evidence supports it and appropriate permissions are secured, RESTORE will also explore potential future reintroductions of species including red-backed shrike, black grouse and wildcat. 

The project also seeks to deliver social and economic benefits alongside ecological restoration. RESTORE intends to create new land stewardship and community engagement roles and work closely with local businesses and communities to ensure the project generates long-term economic value for the region. 

Benedict Macdonald, founder and director of RESTORE, said: "What has long been missing from the English uplands is a large-scale site dedicated primarily to the most ambitious forms of nature restoration.  Whilst many upland estates, farms and forestry benefit from nature as a side-product of commercial activity, Emblehope is destined to become a biosphere-level reserve where nature itself is the driver."

Triodos Bank UK has a dedicated nature finance team focused on supporting projects that restore ecosystems, strengthen biodiversity and build long-term environmental resilience. The bank has financed a growing range of nature-based initiatives across the UK, helping to demonstrate the increasing role of finance in scaling nature recovery.

Simon Crichton, head of nature, food and resource at Triodos Bank UK, added: "Financing Emblehope marks an important step in unlocking investment at scale for nature recovery. This project demonstrates how different forms of capital can come together in partnership to back ambitious, high-integrity projects that restore and protect nature.

"We've been actively financing nature-based solutions for a number of years, and Emblehope builds on this work. Having first provided finance to RESTORE in 2025, we know that together we share a clear, ambitious vision for scaling nature restoration in the UK. We're proud to support the team and look forward to seeing the long-term impact this project delivers for both nature and communities." 

Gil Martin, Commercial and Natural Capital Director of RESTORE, said: "The Emblehope acquisition brings together three very different kinds of capital into a single structure, which works simultaneously for all the parties involved.  

"As a company less than three years old, equity funded at its inception on less than £500,000, raising close to £9 million to secure this site is something we are genuinely proud of. What matters most for us, however, is that this type of transaction for nature can be scaled and repeated in the future – across the nature business sector."