A four-hectare woodland surrounding Yorkshire Building Society’s Bradford headquarters has been identified as an area of high biodiversity value.
Yorkshire Wildlife Trust surveyed the land stretching from the rear of the mutual’s Yorkshire Drive offices towards neighbouring Parkside to assess its habitats and identify opportunities for improvement.
Despite its urban location, the woodland was found to provide an important green corridor capable of supporting birds, bats and other mammals.
The Trust describes the site as “a pocket of natural woodland in a heavily urbanised landscape” which is likely to support a diverse range of wildlife.
URBAN HABITAT
Recommendations include removing invasive plants to improve ground flora and carrying out specialist surveys to establish baseline information and conservation priorities for species including bats.
Yorkshire Building Society says the findings will be used to shape the future management of the site.
Kate Livesey, Environment Manager at Yorkshire Building Society, says: “By investing in biodiversity and understanding how local habitats can flourish – even in our urban location – we’re helping to create greener, more resilient places for people and wildlife.”
Gabrielle Cruttenden, Nature Based Solutions Lead at Yorkshire Wildlife Trust, says: “Urban areas can play such an important role in nature’s network and support some of our much-loved species like swifts, hedgehogs and butterflies.
“Yorkshire Building Society have taken an important step to survey their grounds, to understand how best to protect and enhance it, helping nature flourish while strengthening the connection between people and the natural world right where they live and work.”
The Trust says 3,000 species in Yorkshire are at risk of extinction and is working towards a target of 30% of the region being managed for nature.
