Our Story

The SHG Group was founded in 1972. In its 50+ year history, the company has worked throughout the UK and Europe managing thousands of environmentally sensitive sites.

In 2021, we launched the Living Surface Co. - an award-winning living wall design, installation and maintenance company. One of our very first commissions was for COP26, designing and installing a large living wall for the UN Climate Change Conference.

In 2023, the group launched Habitat Vault to help connect landowners with organisations looking for habitat banks to balance the impact of their operations on biodiversity. For example, house builders looking to acquire biodiversity net gain (BNG) units to offset the impact of their developments on habitats can work with Habitat Vault to design and create new habitats, ensuring compliance with the Environment Act 2021.

The Mission

The UK is in the bottom 10% globally for biodiversity - we're here to help change that.

We're here to assist organisations with both Biodiversity Net Gain compliance and the development of in-house ESG, Sustainability and Environmental strategies around biodiversity.

When it comes to improving biodiversity, Habitat Vault take a strategic, common-sense approach, looking to balance the long-term plans of our client's business with steady, measurable improvements to biodiversity - to either their own sites, or offsite project sites setup and maintained by us.

We recognise that there's often a disconnect between organisations and biodiversity. To solve this, our platform provides customers with regular data on all our projects, using the latest technology including e-DNA and bioacoustics. We want to take customers on a journey from baseline surveys through to the creation of new habitats and rich ecosystems

For landowners, Habitat Vault will highlight the importance of their sites and measurably show how biodiversity is being enhanced on their land.