Developer Wykeland partners with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust to put nature at heart of projects

The Ecology and Biodiversity Framework Agreement is a formal partnership which commits the two organisations to work together to steward wildlife and natural habitats alongside the building of sustainable, commercially-viable developments.

The agreement with Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, which is dedicated to conserving and restoring wildlife and natural habitats, commits Wykeland to embedding ecological principles across the company’s entire portfolio of developments.

Representatives from Wykeland and Yorkshire Wildlife Trust came together for an event at Wykeland’s Bridgehead business park in Hessle, East Yorkshire, to celebrate over a decade of partnership between the organisations, introduce the new agreement and formally sign it.

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A flagship project from their collaboration has been a kilometre nature trail at Bridgehead, near the Humber Bridge, designed and created by Wykeland, working in partnership with the Trust. The Trust manages the pathway and its surrounding natural habitat on behalf of Wykeland, promoting wildlife diversity and preserving the local flora and fauna.

Following the Bridgehead partnership, the relationship is now focused on new urban and industrial projects in the Yorkshire region.

A major element of the new agreement is the integration of the Trust’s expertise at the earliest stages of Wykeland’s design and development processes, as a constructive and critical friend.

Wykeland will actively involve the Trust from the initial planning and design phases, ensuring that ecological considerations are prioritised in new and existing projects, including developments such as Bridgehead, Melton West, the Fruit Market urban village in Hull, and Europarc in Grimsby.

Dominic Gibbons, Wykeland managing director, said: “We’re committed to ensuring all our developments benefit the businesses that occupy them, and the people who work in and use them, as well as enriching the natural environment.

“This new agreement builds on the great work we’ve done with the Trust over the past 10 years.”

Yorkshire Wildlife Trust is a charity dedicated to conserving, protecting and restoring wildlife and wild places in Yorkshire. It looks after more than 100 nature reserves across Yorkshire and is involved in hundreds of other conservation-related projects.

Rachael Bice, chief executive of Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, said: “Driving better outcomes for wildlife in new development is critical and possible, even when there is pressure for strong economic growth and more homes.

“The relationship we have built with Wykeland shows solutions can be found for ecologically sensitive development when professionals bring together their different perspectives, that benefit wildlife and create attractive, healthier places where people want to live and work.”