Developer 'rulebook' to include guidance on hedgehog highways

HEDGEHOG highways and swift bricks will be standards for new buildings after calls for more wildlife-friendly measures in the Government's planning reforms.

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Hedgehog highways are to be standard for new building developments

(BEN BIRCHALL/PA WIRE)

The environmental expectations will not be legally binding but are included in a new set of guidelines for developers and councils to speed up approvals for construction.

Swift bricks - which create nesting opportunities for birds - and hedgehog highways - which form a path between gardens to help the animals find a mate - have been named among the features qualifying "well-designed places".

The new “rulebook” out for consultation also sets out how homes should be designed for “modern life”, from space to work from home to flexible layouts for growing families.