‘Wilder places are better places’

COMMENT Wilder places are better places. As a statement, it’s simply put, but easy access to wildlife and green space is increasingly understood as a proven positive, not just a nice feature to have.  The development sector has been following the trend but is still going through a learning curve. While many outstanding schemes have been looking at areas such as net biodiversity gains and truly natural landscape design for some time, others will now be catching up as the principle is enshrined in law in the new Environment Bill. The industry is getting to grips with the idea that “wilding” and environmental protection is about every aspect of how and what we build.  There is a real sense of the sector warming to new environmental priorities. The challenge is to make sure that the ambition and vision play out in reality, so that – among other pressures to build at pace, scale and at a proper level of affordability – nature can remain centre stage. That means placing the environment at the heart of development strategy in two ways – setting ambitious targets and bringing on board expert partners.  Setting high standards There is no shortage of goals around climate action. The Wildlife Trust recently launched its 30 by 30 campaign, which aims for at least 30% of the country’s land and sea to be connected and protected for the natural world by 2030. National targets such as this fulfil a purpose, giving the country something to aim for. But they do not replace the need for individual operators and developments to map out what these aims look like for them.  Forward-thinking commitments put pressure on delivery, pushing developers to be innovative and incorporate nature fully into designs. No company wants to break its word, and ambitious aims mean that nature will be a factor in all decisions. They are a major part of our strategy at Grosvenor, where biodiversity net gain sits alongside wider sustainability commitments for 2030, including achieving net-zero carbon. These goals are achievable, but only if we invest in the new ideas, technology and techniques that will be needed to get us there. One of the most important things to recognise is that we don’t know it all. We shouldn’t necessarily be saying that every graduate surveyor or development director should be a sustainability expert, but we do need to identify where that expertise is coming from – and be prepared to listen. At the start of our work as master developer at Trumpington Meadows in Cambridge, just over a decade ago, we recognised that if we were to make the new place truly positive for the environment, we would need expert input. Therefore, we partnered with the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire & Northamptonshire and leading landscaping practice Terence O’Rourke to put the natural world at the heart of the 1,200-home development. Together we delivered a 60-acre nature reserve – helping us to achieve a 43% biodiversity net gain before it was national policy – with everything up to the specific type of grass being carefully chosen. It’s a place that has been a vital asset for our residents’ health over the past year.  Expert help Speaking frankly, I cannot guarantee that we would have achieved so much had we gone it alone. We have learnt a huge amount along the way and have since been able to bring lessons from that partnership to ensure that other schemes are landscape-led. At our Barton Park development in Oxford, we realised the positive potential that a new lake could have on our residents’ lives – so we made sure it was in view from their homes, not tucked away. At Hailsham in East Sussex, early design work is looking at how a new community could be shaped around the River Cuckmere, as well as improving habitats and access to the river.  By bringing expertise together, we get greater understanding of the issues at play – and some of the trade-offs involved. Trumpington Meadows has also been used by the Wildlife Trust as a case study to promote its work with the development industry, so I think it is fair to say that we have also been able to share some of our expertise with them too.  Working in this way can ensure that our industry’s improving relationship with nature maintains momentum – building more valuable places where people, animals, flora and fauna can thrive in the long term. Andy Sharpe is director of project management for strategic land at Grosvenor Britain & Ireland Photo © Grosvenor Britain & Ireland