This theme seeks to assess how the housing provider is protecting the local environment and ecology.
Great Places works to ensure our communities have green spaces and that we enhance the biodiversity in these areas in excess of minimum planning Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements. This requirement is established within our design guidance and Employers Requirements.
We deliver increased biodiversity through the following hierarchy:
We carry out a preliminary ecological appraisal and a subsequent BNG assessment for each development site to establish the extent of biodiversity impact as a result of developing the land.
When considering the investment required and maintenance any associated payments are factored in. Landscaping is specified in conjunction with our in-house grounds maintenance team to provide native species which will suit locations and context.
Physical interventions on and near homes are included where suitable and appropriate such as bee and swift bricks, hedgehog runs, bat boxes, Sustainable Drainage System (SuDs) habitat, clover or moss lawns instead of lawn grasses in communal green spaces.
To ensure our environmental impact is reduced we have worked to tackle pollution within the following key areas:
