It’s important in this modern world to balance our requirement for new housing with the fundamental need to provide sustainable environments that encourage biodiversity.

Our physical health, mental wellbeing and economic prosperity are all conditioned by the abundance of the natural world we experience around us. Biodiversity plays a critical role in this, as it’s the key element for maintaining the optimal natural balance among species.

By maximising the biodiversity in your development, Greenbelt makes a significant contribution to ensuring the survival of many different flora and fauna.

The trees, shrubs, grasses and flowers in our green infrastructure provide food in the form of nectar, fruits and seeds and attract pollinating insects, such as butterflies and bees.

They also provide habitats for breeding and shelter for creatures such as birds, reptiles and hedgehogs.

Where possible, Greenbelt’s carefully planned and maintained environments can also offer ‘green corridors’ through which wildlife can safely travel.

With the forthcoming Environment Bill bringing new legal criteria for housebuilders, Greenbelt will continue to offer expert advice and practical guidance on how we can further enhance biodiversity in local environments.

Housebuilders and home buyers know they can rely on our in-house experience and expertise, with a team that incorporates experts in ecology, horticulture, arboriculture, landscape design and management, SUDS, Health and Safety, contract law, planning and much, much more.

Special features

To ensure biodiversity Greenbelt proactively builds in special features that help flora and fauna.

These can include many different types of shrubs, wildflower meadows, species-rich grassland and native hedgerows.

Where possible we also provide wildlife refuges, such as bird boxes, bat boxes and hibernacula.

Special areas

Not only does Greenbelt maintain environments in housing developments, we also manage designated and protected habitats.

These include Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), ancient woodlands and Sites of Importance for Nature Conservation (SINC).

Special measures

While we do our best to promote biodiversity, some of our special measures also help to mitigate the worst effects of climate change.

The Environment Agency has warned many communities are at increased risk of flooding and this is why we are one of the UK’s leading advocates of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS) in new build developments.

Essentially interconnected systems of vegetated ponds, swales and basins, or at times simple below ground storage units, they efficiently intercept, treat, and retain excess rainfall in the form of surface run-off, releasing it at a pre-defined and controlled rate to reduce stress on sewerage networks, rivers and streams.

This meaningfully mitigates the risk and severity of urban flooding. Even better, in most cases our SUDS allow us to do this without posing a negative impact to the environment.

While traditional piped systems can be unsightly, our preferred SUDS are not only specifically designed to complement the natural landscape but they also contribute towards local biodiversity.

To discover more about Greenbelt’s role in promoting and ensuring biodiversity, visit our News section for regular news and features.