Government’s plan to impose an ’environmental net gain’ principle in housing developments is the clearest signal yet that sustainability will be a dominant factor in the pledge to build one million homes by 2020
The government has recently announced its ‘25 Year Environment Plan’, a road-map for improving the environment within a generation. At the heart of the plan is the decision to embed an ‘environmental net gain’ principle in every development, including housing and infrastructure, so that every site helps boost biodiversity and limits pollution.
On the same day, Wildlife Trusts, an umbrella organisation for more than 40 UK wildlife trusts, called for new homes to be matched with a “visionary” approach on where and how we build them. It argues that housing developments should be built with environmental sensitivity and green infrastructure from inception, to deliver multiple social, environmental and economic benefits.
Far too often we see both the housebuilding sector and local government focused on producing high density schemes that offer hundreds of homes, but which give insufficient thought to the surrounding natural habit
These welcome interventions are the clearest signal yet that placemaking and placekeeping are important to housebuilding and come at a time when housing has become one of the government’s biggest priorities. Its ambition for one million new homes to be built by the end of 2020 runs in unison with an industrywide challenge to consistently deliver high quality, healthy developments with a low environmental impact. Far too often we see both the housebuilding sector and local government focused on producing high density schemes that offer hundreds of homes, but which give insufficient thought to the surrounding natural habit or creating thriving communities where people aspire to live, work and invest in.
At Redrow we have long believed that the places and environments where people want to live are just as important as the homes they wish to live in, and it is this thinking that has led us to develop a set of placemaking design principles that govern the communities we create. We know that access to green space is now a key consideration for buyers when choosing a place to live and is seen a strong contributor to community creation, with 98% of consumers we surveyed last year stating open spaces were important to the creation of community ethos.
Careful consideration must be given to designs that not only encourage social interaction and better lifestyles but which also work for nature, allowing movement of wildlife through and beyond the development. Species-rich habitats such as woodlands, bee-friendly meadows, and ponds can provide great opportunities for families to spend time outdoors as well as supporting a variety of species.
Sustainable developments not only give new residents a better environment to inhabit, but also address concerns of local residents about the impact of new homes on their communities
Putting those principles into practice, our Woodford Garden Village development has been built within 50 acres of public green spaces, alongside tree-lined streets, sports pitches, 19 separate play areas, football pitches and pockets of parkland and meadows. These spaces provide a vital meeting space for people to relax, socialise and exercise, creating opportunities to meet new people and build relationships with others in the community, fostering a strong community ethos. Creating places where people and wildlife can flourish in harmony should be considered right from the planning stage, rather than leaving it to the physical construction of the homes.
At the heart of improvement however is measurement and for the sector to truly progress and better its sustainable credentials, it must look at benchmarking and measuring its output. Measuring the biodiversity of a site before development is a key starting point. This allows designers to consider how biodiversity can be increased as part of the scheme to achieve a biodiversity ‘net gain’. At Redrow we have started work to achieve this by commissioning a project to evaluate our biodiversity position across three of our developments, and after a successful trial we are now looking to roll the initiative across all of our sites. The results of the study so far are helping to inform the development of a strategic biodiversity action plan for the company as a whole, encompassing net gain principles and partnership working, and we encourage others to take similar steps.
Crucially, we need to see the government, housebuilders and third sector parties align their strategies and collaborate to deliver truly sustainable communities that families want to live in.
We know that living in a community with easy access to nature and open spaces can improve happiness and health and provides opportunity to socialise with your neighbours. Sustainable developments not only give new residents a better environment to inhabit, but also address concerns of local residents about the impact of new homes on their communities.
Rob Macdiarmid is group sustainability director at Redrow