A STOURPORT-on-Severn housebuilder has highlighted its work to support bats and other wildlife as International Bat Night approaches.
Barratt Homes West Midlands said it has installed more than 200 bird and bat boxes across its two Stourport developments — The Pearls and the now sold-out Folliott’s Manor.
The measures include a bespoke bat house standing more than six metres tall at Folliott’s Manor.
The developer said the additions are intended to provide roosting and nesting opportunities for wildlife, while bats can also help control insect numbers naturally.
The announcement comes ahead of International Bat Night, which is held on the last full weekend in August.
The event has taken place since 1997 and is marked in more than 30 countries, encouraging people to learn about bats and support their conservation.
Bats are among Britain’s most threatened mammals, with several species facing serious population pressures.
This includes the greater mouse-eared bat, which has been reduced to just three individuals, leaving it 'critically endangered'.
Bats rely on habitats including woodland, ponds, hedgerows and open green space to find food and roost.
Adrian Evans, managing director at Barratt Homes West Midlands, said environmental considerations were built into the company’s development planning.
He said: “We have made a wide range of ecological commitments across all our developments in the Midlands, which are designed to support, uplift and help sustain the natural wildlife that exists in these areas.”
At The Pearls, Barratt Homes said it has planted 22 wildflower meadows, 291 trees and 24,331 new hedgerow saplings.
It has also created 1,266 metres of hedgehog highways — gaps in fences intended to help hedgehogs move between gardens and feeding areas.
Residents can also make gardens more welcoming for bats, according to the Royal Horticultural Society.
Suggestions include planting insect-friendly flowers such as Michaelmas daisies, leaving an area of grass to grow, installing a bat box, creating a compost heap and reducing artificial lighting, which can disorientate bats.
The Bat Conservation Trust says all UK bat species can see, although they also use echolocation to navigate and hunt at night.
To find out more about International Bat Night, visit the Bat Conservation Trust website.
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