Wildlife-Proof Your Site: Solutions for Builders Facing New Nature Regulations
Sep 01, 2025
To address the significant decline in UK wildlife over the past 50 years, government regulations have made protecting biodiversity not just an ethical obligation, but a legal one too. Under the Environment Act 2021, all new housing, industrial, and commercial developments in England must deliver a minimum 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
The BNG regulations came into force for major developments on 12th February 2024, with smaller sites having to comply from 2nd April 2024. Developers must prepare a biodiversity gain plan to calculate and deliver the required gains and secure legal agreements ensuring the new or enhanced habitats are maintained for at least 30 years.
Why BNG compliance matters
BNG is vital for boosting decreasing wildlife populations in the UK. Recent data reveals a 7% drop in England’s overall bird numbers between 2018 and 2023, with some farmland species down by a highly concerning 61% since 1970.
Habitat boxes and bricks
One practical, cost-effective method to meet BNG regulations is the installation of habitat boxes and bricks. These include:
- Swift bricks – These hollow bricks are set into walls and designed for cavity-nesting birds like swifts, sparrows, and martins
- Nest boxes – Perfect for various bird species, including blue tits, great tits, and robins
- Bat boxes – Roosting boxes for bats that can be integrated or freestanding
- Bee and insect bricks – Bricks which imitate the natural nesting habits of solitary bees and other insects
- Hedgehog highways – Creating safe routes for hedgehogs and other mammals e.g. by connecting neighbouring gardens
How developers and builders can respond to the regulations
There are numerous ways in which developers and builders can respond to BNG regulations and ensure their projects are compliant. These include:
- Involving ecologists early
- Including habitat boxes and bricks in biodiversity gain plans
- Making plans to monitor and maintain installed features for the required 30-year lifespan
- Educating clients and other involved parties about BNG
Benefits of habitat boxes and bricks
Habitat boxes and brinks come with a huge range of benefits, including:
- Low-cost
- Easy to integrate into developments
- Help a variety of animal species, including swifts, bats, bees, and hedgehogs
- Meet BNG regulations
- Future-proof and scalable
In England’s new era of eco-friendly building, delivering a 10% biodiversity uplift is a legal and ethical requirement. Habitat boxes and bricks offer developers and builders a simple, low-cost, effective solution helping them to achieve on-site biodiversity gains, meet planning conditions, and protect local wildlife.
Here at strukta we have a specialist collection of ECOHABITATS includes a variety of habitat boxes and bricks which can help you meet BNG regulations and create ethical developments. Our range includes bee bricks, bat boxes, hedgehog highways, swift and sparrow boxes, with many items coming in a choice of sizes and colours to suit all types of build. We’re also able to source additional ECOHABITATS products.
For more information, take a look at page 32 of our online catalogue or contact our knowledgeable team to discuss your options.