Housebuilders creating the perfect new habitat for humans and wildlife at Minerva near Exeter

Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes are creating some very special new homes with a difference on the outskirts of Exeter, at Minerva.

The five star housebuilders have commissioned an ecological mitigation plan to identify and protect wildlife at the site of its latest development - which features a collection of two, three and four bedroom homes. 

Matt Cowley, director at EAD Ecology, said a number of wildlife surveys were undertaken on the Minerva site prior to the development which has just opened, ensuring important habitats and species would be protected.

“These investigations, carried out by professional ecologists, included amphibian, reptile, breeding bird, dormice, bat and badger surveys,” he said. “They used specialist equipment including bat detectors, which monitor and record bat echolocation calls to identify the type of bat and areas of the site they use.

“The layout of Minerva was designed to retain some of the key wildlife habitats - including Devon hedgebanks, mature trees and watercourse. Where habitats were removed, the construction team took suitable measures, based on advice from ecologists, to minimise the effect on associated species.”

As part of the development, Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes are creating a country park - with facilities including a network of circular paths and walking routes, and an area for natural play. The housebuilders designed the area to provide maximum enhancement for wildlife, with wildflower meadows, native woodland, hedgerows and wetland.

“This will provide a fantastic resource for both wildlife and homebuyers here,” added Matt.

“The wildlife measures don’t stop at the boundary of the country park either. Many of the new homes have an integral bird or bat box built into an exterior wall. This, in time, should provide refuge for garden birds and bats, such as pipistrelle.

“The development’s designers have also taken measures to reduce light-spill from street lighting, and have included habitats suitable for wildlife in the landscaping for the development.”

Sara Parker, sales director at Barratt Homes and David Wilson Homes, added: “This report has allowed us to introduce important measures to protect wildlife here in Exeter. Our future buyers are very much at the forefront of our minds when we create new developments - but so is the incumbent wildlife. I’m pleased to be carrying out these key measures in response to this excellent ecological mitigation plan.”

Minerva is a development of two, three and four bedroom homes on the outskirts of Exeter, with its very own 15 acre park. Local shops, schools, and the train station, are all close by - making the development the perfect place to call home.

For more information about homes at Minerva, visit www.barratthomes.co.uk  or www.dwh.co.uk or call 0844 5710 385.