A council-owned site between Chester and Frodsham is set to become a wildlife haven after Cheshire West and Chester Council registered its first dedicated habitat bank with Natural England.

The 8.56-hectare site at Grange Woods will see a diverse mix of habitats created and enhanced, including species-rich grassland, native broadleaved woodland and carefully designed ponds.

Habitat banks are areas set aside to create and improve natural habitats. They are legally protected and managed long-term to support biodiversity.

The council says the project will create connected habitats for plants, insects, birds, bats and amphibians including frogs, toads and newts.

With the UK among the lowest 10% of countries worldwide for biodiversity, the scheme is part of wider efforts to reverse nature loss in Cheshire, where 156 species have become extinct since 1950.

Each habitat bank created on site will also generate Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) units. Under planning rules, most new developments must now leave biodiversity in a better state than before.

Developers who cannot achieve this on-site can buy BNG units to fund habitat creation elsewhere.

It is hoped that, once established, the Grange Woods site will support pollinating insects such as bees and butterflies, birds, bats and small mammals, as well as amphibians such as newts, frogs and toads in the newly created ponds.

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Gemma Davies, the council's director of Economy and Housing, said: "Funding improvements to sites such as Grange Woods through BNG will ensure that the site continues to be managed for years to come."

Ecological surveys were carried out before work began, with ongoing monitoring planned to track improvements in habitat quality.

The council is also developing four more habitat bank sites across the borough, creating woodland, grassland, wetland and pond habitats.

A separate habitat bank at Eaton Lane in Davenham has also been approved under the government's biodiversity scheme, allowing developers to buy nature credits from the site.