Homes for Nature Updated to Include Apartments Enhancing Biodiversity

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The Future Homes Hub has expanded its “Homes for Nature” initiative to now include guidance tailored specifically for apartment schemes. Previously focused on houses, the initiative now features an appendix entitled “The Inclusion of Apartments”, intended to help developers of high‑rise residential buildings incorporate biodiversity measures such as universally non‑combustible nest bricks, hedgehog highways, pollinator planting, and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS). Krista Evans, Head of Place & Nature at the Hub, emphasised that new housing must benefit both people and wildlife regardless of building height. This update supports nature recovery for urban wildlife and ensures inclusion of biodiversity in diverse housing designs.

The Homes for Nature initiative, launched in September 2024, is a sector‑wide commitment developed by the Future Homes Hub in collaboration with organisations including the RSPB, Action for Swifts and Hedgehog Street. It encourages developers to exceed Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) requirements by installing at least one bird‑nesting brick or box per new home, ensuring hedgehog highways in every development, and supporting additional nature measures such as bat roosts, insect bricks, hibernacula, pollinator‑friendly landscaping, and nature‑led SuDS.

Since its inception, the Homes for Nature initiative has been adopted by 28 homebuilders, representing over 100,000 new homes annually. This equates to a minimum of approximately 300,000 nesting bricks and boxes installed through to 2030. As part of a voluntary commitment, participants report annually on installations, share best practices, and contribute to continuous improvement of nature outcomes on new developments.

The initiative also aligns with national policy: the government’s Planning Policy Guidance on the Natural Environment now explicitly supports measures such as swift bricks, bat boxes, and hedgehog highways within development proposals, reflecting the Homes for Nature approach.

What This Means:
This development signals a shift in urban housing design, ensuring biodiversity considerations are embedded even in apartment schemes. By bringing apartments into the Homes for Nature framework, the Hub promotes wildlife integration in denser building types and encourages developers to go beyond regulatory minimums. This integration supports broader nature recovery goals and encourages sector‑wide innovation.

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