Trinity Leeds owner Landsec calls for nature to be at the heart of UK city planning

The polling of over 1,200 people across Leeds, London, Birmingham, Manchester, Glasgow, and Cardiff, revealed that expectations people have of what cities should provide for them has risen since the Covid-19 pandemic.

Almost four in 10 respondents (39 per cent) named inclusion of green space and more trees, plants and wildlife as the biggest priority for developers in new building developments.

The research comes as Landsec launches a new nature strategy that aims to improve biodiversity, promote health and wellbeing, and create nature-based solutions to help meet net zero ambitions.

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Jennie Colville, Landsec head of sustainability, said: “The quality and amount of nature in urban places has been neglected in recent years.”

She added: “To build the cities we need for the future, we must change our approach to urbanisation in a way that enables people and nature to co-exist, while creating jobs and fuelling economic growth.”

Current government guidelines require developers to provide 10 per cent biodiversity net gain (BNG) on all habitats within the redline boundary of their development.

For existing assets, Landsec has committed an additional 10 per cent increase to its existing BNG targets, while for future developments Landsec will aim to make a 20 per cent BNG on sites with existing ‘greening’ and ensure the development of two biodiversity units per hectare for sites with ‘no greening’.