BARRATT Developments has received official accreditation from the RSPB for nine of its show home gardens — at South Wales developments including Brunel Quarter in Chepstow, Hanbury Locks in Cwmbran and Parc Fferm Wen in St Athan.
To receive this award from the RSPB, elements of each garden have been designed for the benefit of wildlife — while simultaneously ensuring the gardens are attractive, scented havens for residents to relax in and enjoy.
Examples of habitat elements include, year-round flowering plants to attract pollinators; areas of flowering lawn that are allowed to grow tall and set seed; specially designed log piles to provide habitat for fungi and bugs; and gaps through fences for hedgehogs to travel through.
What’s more, signage will soon be in place at the nine wildlife-friendly gardens — to help residents and visitors alike learn more about the habitats and species on display there. Barratt Developments PLC and the RSPB have been working together to show how new homes and homeowners can help nature and support wildlife since 2014. More recently, Barratt has supported the RSPB in creating Nature on Your Doorstep – a campaign to inspire and inform people about making their outdoor spaces a home for nature.
Catherine Etchell, the landscape architect who designed the gold-accredited Brunel Quarter Barratt Homes Garden said: “The waterside location of this garden is a biodiverse wildlife corridor — providing an ideal opportunity to bring nature directly into new gardens on the development.
“The show home garden is designed to attract wildlife in three key ways: by providing food and water, habitat for shelter, and nesting spaces such as trees, shrubs and climbing plants, along with flowering plants and ponds. Combined, these make excellent travel corridors which allow wildlife to move safely between gardens.
“We hope the garden will attract and support rare and beautiful species, from hedgehogs to starlings — for both residents and local visitors to enjoy.”
Richard Lawson, Sales Director for Barratt and David Wilson Homes South Wales said: “We know that sustainability is high on customers’ agendas.
“And as Britain’s largest housebuilder, it is therefore our duty meet customers’ expectations with regards to sustainability — from providing them with an environmentally-friendly place to call home, to inspiring them to implement their own sustainable practices within the home environment.”
