Providing a home for nature

At a time when much of the UK’s urban wildlife is in decline, we’re proud to be taking steps to pioneer a nature-friendly approach to home building; crafting beautiful homes that enhance and support the environment.

Committed to boosting natural habitats for wildlife, we must continue to take positive steps to build nature-friendly housing developments, doing all that we can to increase the population of British wildlife.

There are many ways that we encourage local wildlife to thrive in our developments. Not only do we plant an average of 20 trees or shrubs for each home that we build, we strive to use the best types for wildlife, and to retain and enhance as much green open space as possible across our communities.

We are also helping to save British wild bees by continuing to introduce bee-friendly plants across acres of gardens and open spaces within our developments.

We have worked with the RSPB to boost the number of swifts in the country. With the UK’s population of swifts in serious decline, building new homes for the birds was an important goal of our partnership. The innovative brick, which is also a nesting box for swifts, is now being installed on our developments across the country.

Find out more about our swift bricks in this brochure:

Did you know that one of the easiest ways to help birds and other wildlife is by adding water to your garden or outdoor space? Just a simple bird bath can help by providing birds with water to drink and bathe. Hedgehogs too will make use of a ground level dish, while a shallow water dish with pebbles can help provide bees and other pollinators with a safe place to drink. Add a mini-pond and you could help frogs, toads, dragonflies, damselflies and a whole host of other wonderful water creatures.

It also pays to install a water butt. Using less water in the garden can reduce your water bill and help to protect wetland wildlife in the wider countryside. Last year, the UK experienced the hottest summer on record so it’s well worth taking steps now.

To make a splash for wildlife in your outdoor space take a look at the Nature on Your Doorstep online hub. Here you will find step-by-step guides to bird baths, mini-ponds, water butts and a whole lot more.

Whatever the size of your outdoor space, Nature on Your Doorstep is full of expert advice and wildlife-friendly gardening tips to bring your balcony, backyard or garden to life!

We've been awarded Best Housing Partnership at the 2021 British Homes Awards, for our work with RSPB.

Together we've created the UK’s first truly wildlife-friendly housing development at Kingsbrook, a 306-hectare site on the outskirts of Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire, with the aim of “Giving Nature a Home”.

The 2,450 home project built the care of the natural environment into the scheme at the earliest stages, including keeping ancient hedges, creating a 250-acre nature reserve and visitor centre, and concentrating homes in areas with the least biodiversity.