Housebuilder Redrow has been shortlisted for two awards in the BIG Biodiversity Challenge.
Run by ciria (the construction industry research and information association), the awards invite organisations to ‘do one thing’ to enhance their construction site, development or existing building.
Winners will be announced at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, on October 15 and Redrow is a finalist in two different categories.
Efforts to help birds, bees, hedgehogs and other creatures flourish at the developer’s UK headquarters in Flintshire are shortlisted in the ‘small scale permanent’ projects category; while an outdoor classroom that nine Redrow apprentices helped to create at a rural village school in Gloucestershire will compete for top honours in the class for ‘community engagement’.
Nicola Owen, Redrow’s sustainability manager, said: “To be shortlisted for one award would be achievement enough, but for two of our sustainability projects to be singled out is truly amazing. We’ve worked hard within the business to be more eco-friendly and to make sure all of our staff recognise the importance of developing homes in a sustainable and responsible way.
“Too often builders are depicted as the ‘big bad wolf’ but hopefully with initiatives like this we’re showing people that we care about the environment too.”
At its St David’s Park headquarters, in Ewloe, Flintshire, the housebuilder has installed 152 homes of a different kind, comprising:
- 60 bird boxes
- 50 roosting pouches
- 10 bat boxes
- 24 bee/bug/insect homes
- 5 butterfly homes,
- 3 hedgehog homes
It has monitored and recorded activity in each across the year and noted that around 80% of the new homes have been used. A key feature of the project was a bird box with a camera installed, which allowed all Redrow employees to observe the nesting and raising of chicks in the company’s very own ‘Nestwatch’.
The new outside eco-classroom at Ann Edwards C of E Primary School, South Cerney, was created in just seven days with no budget. Designed to help the school’s pupils learn more about natural habitats, biodiversity and provide an area where the school’s eco club can thrive, it includes biodiversity enhancements such as a log pile hibernacula and bug hotel.
The challenge saw the team of Redrow construction site and office-based apprentices work together to source free materials from local suppliers before building the structure on a previously unused bit of land within the school grounds.
For more on Redrow’s approach to sustainability and 2015 highlights go to: sustainability.redrowplc.co.uk/sustainability/our-approach