Redrow and Wildlife Trusts team up to develop new biodiversity nature-friendly development strategy

2^nd January 2019

Redrow announced a significant corporate partnership with The Wildlife Trusts which will see the two organisations work together to develop a group wide wildlife strategy for all of Redrow’s sites. The partnership will ensure that a robust and achievable strategy is created that will see Redrow protect, maintain and increase natural habitats in the areas where they build.

We are delighted to be producing a biodiversity strategy of this magnitude in partnership with The Wildlife Trusts, demonstrating our commitment to creating vibrant and thriving communities and habitats.

Our focus on ‘nature for people’ aims to create areas for people and wildlife close to where residents live. It will be the first time The Wildlife Trusts will second a member of staff to us to advise on the development of a strategy for people and wildlife. The Wildlife Trusts will help deliver a series of internal workshops to educate and equip us with the necessary skills to enable them to put the nature strategy into practice. 

The new partnership strengthens our existing work to improve biodiversity on its developments. Since 1974, we have created over 2,300 hectares of publicly-accessible open space. We are already partnered with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust, which has seen the introduction of a variety of pollinator-friendly measures, and has also implemented hedgehog highway networks, bat bricks and bird boxes to encourage local wildlife. 

Our new biodiversity strategy is expected to launch in summer 2019 following extensive consultation and input across the business. The strategy will ensure biodiversity ‘net gain’ is achieved across our developments and will have a focus on ‘nature for people’, putting residents at the heart of the strategy to ensure they benefit from wildlife-rich landscapes on developments. It will also consider legacy issues from the outset and maximise the health and wellbeing benefits of nature. 

Robert Macdiarmid, Group Sustainability Director at Redrow, comments: 
“This partnership with The Wildlife Trusts demonstrates how seriously the senior leadership team at Redrow take the issue of creating diverse habitats and nature rich communities. It will take our existing biodiversity efforts to the next level, with the expertise of the Wildlife Trusts providing an invaluable element of scrutiny and robustness.

“Through this commitment, we want to inspire our internal teams to be a positive force for change, act as a role model for the wider housebuilding industry and give our customers the confidence and knowledge to connect with nature and wildlife. We can’t wait to see all the amazing benefits this partnership will realise.”

Peter Dorans, Corporate Relationship Manager, The Wildlife Trusts said: 
“The Wildlife Trusts believe everyone deserves to live in healthy, wildlife-rich natural communities and should have the opportunity to experience the joy of nature in their daily lives.

 

“People living in nature- friendly homes can enjoy birdsong, reap the benefits of rain gardens which soak up floodwater, and delight in plants that bees and other pollinators need to survive. With good design the costs of doing this are a tiny proportion of the overall cost of a housing development but represent a big investment for the future.

“We are looking forward to working with Redrow to help them make nature a key part of their future developments.“