RSPB extends Barratt and David Wilson Homes Scotland partnership

The two organisations have agreed to work together for another five years, with parent company Barratt Redrow investing over £1m in the new partnership, on top of what it spends supporting nature and wildlife on its developments.

The extension of the partnership means that Scottish developments such as David Wilson Homes at St Andrews and Valley Park in West Lothian and Barratt Homes in Auchinleck Village, Glasgow, and Westburn Gardens, Aberdeen can continue to benefit from RSPB advice, helping to give nature a home.

Since 2014, the RSPB has been providing expertise to the UK’s largest housebuilder, Barratt Redrow to help build homes and developments in a nature-friendly way, to inspire homeowners to support wildlife on their doorstep and to influence government and the wider sector to help nature thrive.

The partnership has already achieved so much. Through the Nature on Your Doorstep initiative, it encouraged people to create a wildlife haven in their own outdoor spaces, using inspirational content, top tips and advice that was visited by over 1.5m unique users on the RSPB website. By writing landscaping and gardening guides, designing a new swift brick which is being installed in 7,500 new homes, and creating wildlife-friendly show home gardens, the partnership is working to set the benchmark for nature-friendly housing across the UK.

Now, with the partnership extended for another five years and with an expanded RSPB team supporting it, Barratt Redrow and the RSPB hope to achieve even more. Together, they will be deepening existing initiatives whilst creating new opportunities to protect nature within Barratt Redrow developments and communities. This includes establishing more exemplar nature-friendly features and rolling out Species Enhancement Plans. These plans, tailored for specific developments, will support species most in need in that area.

Alison Condie, regional managing director at Barratt and David Wilson Homes Scotland, said: “Whilst we face a nature and climate emergency in the UK, we also need to build more homes to tackle the housing crisis. This is why we have partnered with the RSPB for the past 11 years to show how it’s possible to build new homes for people and wildlife. We are proud to now be extending the partnership for another five years, building on what we have already learnt together giving nature a home.”

Beccy Speight, the RSPB’s chief executive officer, added: “We are at a very critical time in terms of the state of the natural world and now more than ever, it is absolutely vital that we put nature at the centre of everything we do – especially when it comes to planning where and how we build houses in this country.

“We know that when we join forces and work together, with the right expertise and shared aims, we can achieve more for nature and we look forward to continuing to build on what our partnership with Barratt Redrow has already achieved, for the next five years.”

The partnership has won many awards, including a BIG biodiversity challenge award for show home designs, the corporate engagement award for best sustainable programme and a prestigious RSPCA animal hero award.

By working with the RSPB for another five years Barratt and David Wilson Homes Scotland will continue to champion wildlife wherever it builds, with its customers, with government and across the housebuilding industry.