Building housing developments with nature in mind can provide a vital refuge to struggling local wildlife, reveals the RSPB, following a wildlife survey of a major new development from Barratt Developments plc, the UK’s largest housebuilder.
The survey report reveals that numbers of some species have soared at Kingsbrook, in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire.
Highlights include that estimated breeding pairs of house sparrows, which are on the Red List of conservation concern, rose from two to 147. Bumblebee numbers have also more than doubled.
These findings are critical at a time when the UK government has committed to building 300,000 new homes a year by the mid-2020s, and with many previously familiar garden species in decline. House sparrows, for example, have halved in rural England since the 1970s, and half of all bumblebee species are falling.
Photo: Kingsbrook (Barratt Developments)
The RSPB, Barratt, and Aylesbury Vale District Council (now Buckinghamshire Council) worked together to design a development that could be an exemplar for nature-friendly housebuilding - creating space for struggling local wildlife as well as people.
The designs incorporate a wide range of cost-effective wildlife-friendly choices such as integrating swift nest bricks into the walls of houses, planting fruit trees in gardens, and constructing sustainable drainage system ponds and wetlands. The plans also protect existing wildlife habitats and create new ones, including new orchards, planting native trees and hedgerows, and sowing areas of wildflower meadow.
The RSPB conducted a survey back in 2015, the year before construction began, and then again in 2021, after the first village of 600 houses was built. They found that despite the construction there was no loss in number of bird species (holding steady at 65), and that the breeding species went up by one (42 compared to 41). There were also huge increases in the number of individual birds for many species, including the house sparrow (up 3,941%) and starling (up 96%), both on which are the Red List of conservation concern. Some species which might have been expected to decrease also rose, including the Amber Listed reed bunting (up 65%) and whitethroat (up 72%).
A few bird species declined in number, including the chaffinch (down 84%), which is experiencing declines nationally, and linnet (down 83%), potentially due to the immaturity of new habitats. Overall butterfly numbers held relatively stable (going from 1,425 to 1,370), with the total number of species staying steady at 20 and the change was very positive in the surrounding greenspace which forms part of the development. Bumblebee numbers were promising, more than doubling from 427 to 929. Invertebrate numbers naturally fluctuate more year-on-year so further surveys will be required to confirm long-term trends.
The report notes potential areas that could be improved further. These include the creation of larger areas of scrub for nesting birds, increased community engagement to encourage homeowners’ actions, more plants for pollinators, and tweaking of wetlands to encourage more reed bunting and waterfowl.
Helen Nyul, head of biodiversity at Barratt Developments, said: “To have shown that building a major new community can have such beneficial impacts on wildlife is really positive and gratifying. It also shows how we can go beyond biodiversity net gains by making spaces for nature in our developments too. We have worked closely with the RSPB to showcase how best to look after wildlife when building much needed new homes. We want the findings from this survey to be used as an inspiration for how to give nature a home when building new communities.”
Peter Strachan, Buckinghamshire Council’s Cabinet Member for Planning and Regeneration, said: “Due to the falling numbers in different species, it’s more important than ever when we are looking at new development, to make sure we are taking care of our wildlife and providing struggling species with a place to settle. That is why we are really pleased to see a boost in urban wildlife at the Kingsbrook development. We hope that residents and animals alike will enjoy the wide range of wildlife friendly areas with shrubs, flowers, and water features. The scheme is a great example of building with nature in mind, and it will help the local wildlife prosper alongside residents, for years to come.”
Adrian Thomas, the RSPB’s wildlife gardening expert who helped guide Kingsbrook’s wildlife features, said: "There are opportunities everywhere in our towns and cities to help wildlife and in doing so help stem its decline, whether it’s by embracing wildflowers on verges or creating pools and ponds. And these help people – by greening our local spaces, we help people’s health and wellbeing by connecting with nature and reducing flood risk. It really is win-win and shows what is possible when conservation and business work with a shared goal.”
Please click here to download the full report.
