Supporting biodiversity at Thorpe Hesley
Supporting biodiversity at Thorpe Hesley
Sometimes, the most effective ways to support the environment come from simple, thoughtful choices. At our Thorpe Hesley site, we’ve taken a smart approach to clearing vegetation during construction.
Instead of removing or burning the cut branches and plants, we’ve stacked them neatly on-site. It might look like basic tidying up, but these log and vegetation piles are doing much more. They’re creating small habitats for insects, amphibians, small mammals, and birds. As the wood breaks down naturally, it returns nutrients to the soil, helps native plants grow back, and supports local wildlife.
Figure 1 This area is slowly being reclaimed by Brambles in a partially shady part of the site.
This shows that clearing land doesn’t have to harm nature. When done carefully, it can actually help the environment and leave a positive impact.
We’re also cutting down on carbon emissions by avoiding the need to transport, burn, or chip the waste. This supports the UK Government’s Biodiversity Net Gain policy, which requires most new developments to increase biodiversity by at least 10% compared to before construction.
Our approach also supports wider goals under the Government’s Sustainability and Net Zero strategies. These focus on low-carbon, eco-friendly ways of managing land and building responsibly. It’s all part of showing how development and nature can work together for the benefit of local communities.
Figure 2 This tree trunk is almost entirely hidden by this year’s growth and there are signs of frequent wildlife use