A YORK housebuilder is celebrating wildlife through a partnership with the RSPB.

Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, which has sites across York including The Chocolate Works and Fairfield Croft in Skelton and Heather Croft in Pickering, is adding further wildlife friendly features to its new sites across the city.

The commitment will include more newly-planted trees, a greater number of hedgehog highways and swift nesting sites, and a transition to becoming peat-free, in an effort to help local nature habitats in trouble.

Daniel Smith, managing director at Barratt Developments Yorkshire East, said: “As the region’s leading national sustainable housebuilder looking after nature is integral to the work that we continuously do through our partnership with RSPB.

"This is why we are committing to boosting wildlife and building nature friendly developments, but not only that, as a community we all have a role to play in tackling the ecological and climate emergency.

"And through the actions we take for nature, by individuals or communities together, such as welcoming wildlife into gardens or greenspace, we will continue to make a huge difference.”

As part of the ongoing partnership, Barratt Developments is also investing £1 million across the country in a new project with the RSPB to support people helping nature thrive in their gardens, balconies and eventually their community greenspaces.

Launching in spring this year and named Nature on Your Doorstep, the project will focus on the development of digital resources and an online community that delivers resources, connections and inspiration that will support people in creating their own shelters for wildlife in their local area.