With developers facing greater pressure to improve sustainability and biodiversity measures, Wienerberger has launched a new specialist report exploring the role of Eco-habitats in the drive for Biodiversity Net Gain.
The Changing Shape of Biodiversity in the Built Environment has been prepared by environmental specialists at Wienerberger, addressing the challenges faced by the construction industry as they seek to meet enhanced Biodiversity Net Gain requirements.
It sets out the regulatory drivers that are shaping modern developments, including the National Planning Policy Framework and Environment Act 2021, as well as changing consumer attitudes to outdoor spaces.
The specialist report introduces the benefits of Eco-habitats such as bird boxes, bat boxes and bee bricks, providing a range of fuss-free solutions that can provide supplementary enhancements within a Biodiversity Net Gain report. Experts from Wienerberger also offer installation and placement tips to help maximise nesting opportunities.
It is available to download for free from Wienerberger’s website, providing a vital resource for anybody involved in the planning, design and construction of new buildings.
What can developers do?
Homebuyers and commercial property tenants have become more aware of both the environment as well as their own wellbeing, therefore, buildings that support local wildlife to create better outdoor spaces will become more attractive to buyers and users.
By planning for nature, developers can help building users to reconnect with nature. But this relies on making informed, data-driven decisions on projects which are shaped by early communication and collaboration.
There are of course a number of measures that housebuilders and developers can take to achieve the required ecological enhancements and help ensure biodiversity net gain. Often these will work together to contribute to the net gain required.
The most important point is that such measures no longer need to be costly or complex. Housebuilders and developers now have access to a wide range of solutions to help achieve the necessary ecological enhancements and ensure biodiversity net gain. Often these will work together to help contribute to the net gain required.
For example, Eco-habitats provide a fuss-free and inexpensive option, ready to be integrated into the fabric of a building as it is built or renovated, they are produced with care to make installation easy.
Eco-habitats
Eco-habitats are supplementary measures that can help to promote biodiversity at a development site. Whilst they don’t specifically earn credits in Biodiversity Net Gain calculations, they provide a simple way to supplement biodiversity improvements and can still be included within a project’s Biodiversity Net Gain report.
Eco-habitats can be introduced as supplementary enhancements to provide durable and discreet habitats for British birds, bats, bees and other species.
Bird boxes are tailored to individual species such as swifts, starlings and sparrows, providing space for nesting and roosting which is safe from predators. These are usually constructed using insulating concrete block which provides an internal roost space, with access holes to suit different species, before cladded with a brick face to match the building fabric.
Bat boxes are also solid boxes made of insulating concrete that provide an internal roost space and cladded appropriately. Suitable for most species commonly found in the UK, the single chambered unit features an integrated V system to increase the surface for bats to roost against, whilst allowing freedom of movement.
Other eco-habitats include solitary bee bricks, produced to UK brick size format so they can be easily installed in place of a standard brick. These feature holes of varying sizes to provide resting space for different species of solitary bee. Solitary bees lay their eggs in these cavities before sealing the entrance with mud and chewed-up vegetation. The offspring then emerge in spring and the cycle repeats.
Wienerberger’s range, in partnership with Habibat, is produced in the UK and can be faced in any brick type or stone, regardless of manufacturer, stone finish or suitable for render – and roofing eco-habitats are also available. All solutions can be made bespoke to suit individual requirements for each individual project.
Exploring demand
Although there is currently no quantitative value assigned to Eco-habitats, they are still anticipated to be included within the Net Gain Report in the Environment Bill. All of the solutions listed above provide a fuss-free and low-maintenance way to help achieve ecological enhancements on developments, but the legislative requirement for biodiversity net gains is not the only driver which is increasing the popularity of integrated wildlife boxes.
With CSR firmly on the agenda for all organisations, Eco-habitats already form an important part of sustainability strategies for many developers. Wildlife is in a state of decline across the UK, with 41% of species declining in numbers since 1970. Bats have fallen dramatically in numbers over the last 50 years and our most common bat, the common pipistrelle, has declined by almost 70%. House Sparrows have declined by around 50% in the same period and are now red-listed as a species of high conservation concern. The number of swifts fell by 53% between 1995 and 2016, and starlings by 66% since the mid-1970s – also red-listed as a bird of high conservation concern.
It is also marketing tool. As home-buyers and commercial property tenants become more environmentally aware, developments that support local wildlife will become more attractive. There is also an argument that COVID-19 has brought people closer to nature and, in particular, more switched on to their personal outdoor spaces. The Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) recorded a 69% increase in web traffic between March and May 2020 compared with the same period in 2019, including a tenfold increase in view of ‘build a bird box’ web page.
What else do you need to know?
Biodiversity is no longer a ‘nice to do’ in new developments. Recent changes in planning frameworks mean Biodiversity Net Gain is now a critical requirement in order to secure planning consent for new developments. Under the NPPF, developers are at risk of not securing planning consent if they do not integrate biodiversity improvements within their design.
There is currently no quantitative value assigned to Eco-habitats through Natural England Metric 3.0, but wider biodiversity benefits must also be considered, including the provision of Eco-habitats.
That is why project teams are increasingly turning to these thoughtfully-designed solutions as proactive solutions, creating spaces for wildlife rather than displacing them.
Easy to install, low-maintenance and ticking all the boxes for ecological enhancement, it’s clear to see why these discreet solutions are proving increasingly popular throughout the value chain on new developments across the UK.
Although Wienerberger’s solutions have been on the market for 15 years or more, they have been seen by many until now as a necessary addition only when special ecological requirements demand them.
Against a backdrop of increased ecological attention, now is the time for these thoughtfully-designed solutions to be installed as proactive solutions, creating spaces for wildlife rather than replacing them.
Download Wienerberger’s specialist report, The Changing Shape of Biodiversity in the Built Environment – Exploring the Role Of Eco-Habitats in the Drive For Biodiversity Net Gain, for free today. Visit www.wienerberger.co.uk/biodiversity-report.html