Platform Housing Group has joined the Homes for Nature campaign, an industry initiative developed by the Future Homes Hub to promote biodiversity in new housing developments.
The campaign encourages homebuilders to include wildlife-supportive features such as bird nesting bricks and hedgehog highways as standard in all new planning applications from September 2024 to 2030. Platform Housing will integrate at least one nesting brick or box per property and hedgehog highways linking gardens and green areas across its new sites.
The group also plans to exceed the initiative’s core requirements through biodiversity training for staff and by adding bat roosts, insect bricks, sustainable drainage systems and pollinator-friendly landscaping where possible. These measures form part of a wider sustainability strategy designed to embed ecological design into construction and planning.
Lianne Taylor, Director of Sustainability, said: “At Platform, we’re committed to shaping communities where both people and nature can flourish. By joining the Homes for Nature initiative, our development teams are embedding wildlife friendly elements from the very earliest stages, from integrating bird nesting bricks and hedgehog highways into site design, planting one new tree for every new home we build and incorporating pollinator friendly landscaping. This ensures every new home contributes meaningfully to nature recovery and sets a new standard in sustainable, considerate development.”
Homes for Nature complements Biodiversity Net Gain regulations, which require developers to deliver a minimum 10 per cent increase in biodiversity. More than 28 major homebuilders have signed up to the campaign, which is expected to add over 300,000 bird nesting features nationwide in the coming years.
As a member of the Future Homes Hub, Platform Housing will work with partners including the RSPB, Action for Swifts, Hedgehog Street and the NHBC to develop guidance and ensure consistent adoption of wildlife-friendly practices across the industry.
