Hedgehog highways could become requirement for new buildings

"Hedgehog highways and bird-safe glass could become requirements for all new buildings as members of the House of Lords push through amendments to the government's planning bill. This may cause a headache for ministers, who have tried to avoid burdening developers with laws on nature measures such as swift bricks. The new Lords amendments include mandated provision for these nesting boxes, which campaigners say are crucial for the survival of the threatened species."

"Guardian analysis has found that more than 5,000 nature sites could be at risk if it goes ahead. Experts have said the bill could allow developers to ignore environmental protection rules and create a cash to trash nature system. This is because it allows developers to pay into a nature restoration fund rather than ensure they protect wildlife on sites."

"The peers hope the amendments will go some way towards alleviating the damage to nature caused by new developments. They said an estimated 30m birds die often slowly and painfully after flying into windows in the UK each year, and argue that this could be reduced by up to 90% by mandating the use of bird-safe glass, which Britain is an industry leader in manufacturing."

Members of the House of Lords have advanced amendments that would require wildlife-friendly features on all new buildings, including hedgehog highways, bird nesting boxes and bird-safe glass. A cross-bench group tabled measures mandating swift bricks and other nesting provisions to support threatened species. Nature groups warn that the planning and infrastructure bill could put over 5,000 nature sites at risk by allowing developers to pay into a restoration fund instead of protecting wildlife onsite. Peers argue that mandating bird-safe glass could cut bird-window collisions by up to 90%, while hedgehog highways and nesting boxes are low-cost measures to support biodiversity.

Read at www.theguardian.com