Twenty housebuilders have signed up to the Homes for Nature commitment, which will see wildlife provisions such as hedgehog highways become standard on new developments
From September 2024, hedgehog highways and bird boxes will become standard for every new house built by those who have signed up for the Homes for Nature commitment.
Housebuilders are being encouraged to include additional features such as bat roosts, nesting bricks for swifts and insects and hibernacula in their planning. Nature-led sustainable drainage systems and pollinator-friendly landscaping has also been encouraged for the surroundings of new developments.
The Homes for Nature initiative will run until at least 2030, with annual reporting to study results and identify further ways to support wildlife.
It follows the recently implemented Biodiversity Net Gain regulations, which require all new developments to support 10% more wildlife.
Homes for Nature has been endorsed by the following housebuilders:
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Homes for Nature is a collaborative effort between several nature charities and built environment experts
Homes for Nature was developed by the industry-led On Site Nature Measures Working Group, convened by the Future Homes Hub, an independent organisation established to help the house-building sector address climate and environmental challenges.
The On Site Nature Measures Working Group is now working with organisations such as the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), Action for Swifts, Hedgehog Street, and the NHBC to develop the technical and customer guidance for installation of the nature measures across development sites.
The commitment currently applies to low rise houses only, with further work under way with industry to identify an appropriate nature positive approach for new apartments and high-rise buildings.
Hedgehog highways are a “simple but effective” way to support wildlife
Ed Lockhart, chief executive of the Future Homes Hub, said: “Homes for Nature is a fantastic opportunity to create many more homes for wildlife, bring people closer to nature and at the same time provide a helping hand to some much-loved and critically endangered species.
“A commitment to installing integral nest bricks or boxes and creating hedgehog highways as standard is a simple but effective way to support our precious wildlife, including the iconic swift and hedgehog.”
A major boost for the swift population, who need 300,000 more nesting bricks and boxes
Becky Ingham, chief executive of Action for Swifts, said: “For centuries swifts have shared our buildings and homes by nesting in the nooks and crannnies of old style buildings. In recent years the loss of nesting sites has had a major detrimental effect on this Red-Listed species.
“It’s heartening to now see the commitment from so many major developers towards installing integral bricks, which will last the lifetime of the building and provide our Swifts and other cavity nesting birds with long-term habitat.”
