Encouraging wildlife and biodiversity
By planting native trees, shrubs, grassland and wildflowers on what was previously an arable field, we are improving the biodiversity of the site, which means that the number and different types of species of wildlife on the site will increase as a result of Gateway 14 being built.
Our plans for landscaping the site and creating new areas of habitat mean that we are exceeding government requirements for ‘Biodiversity Net Gain’. We are required to increase biodiversity overall by 10% and our Biodiversity Net Gain assessment shows there will be a 13.59% gain for habitats and a 148.65% gain for ‘linear’ features, such as hedgerows.
We are creating an ‘amenity and biodiversity zone’ in the south east of the site, called Elizabeth Meadow (shown in the photograph below), which will be open to everyone. It will provide habitats for amphibians and reptiles, as well as wood and brash piles as ‘bug hotels’, and shelter for small mammals and hedgehogs. It will have grassland, scrub and riverside trees to provide a wildlife corridor and buffer to the River Gipping, as well as mown paths, park benches and litter bins, for residents to enjoy this area.
We will plant more than 2,200 metres of native hedgerows to provide shelter for birds. Bird and bat boxes will be put up across the site. We’ll look at other options such as ‘living walls’ and mammal friendly fencing, which allows animals like hedgehogs to move around the site easily at night.
As part of our planning permission, we will carefully look after the planting, landscaping and green spaces at Gateway 14 to make sure it is well maintained and provides the right habitats for wildlife to thrive.
Planting more than 15,000 trees
Across the site, we will plant over 15,500 trees. Tree planting started in March 2023, when Tree Warden, Richard Frost, and his team of local volunteers planted a range of native species including hawthorn, crab apple, hazel, white poplar and English Oak. They were all sourced from Suffolk seeds and cuttings, and started life in a variety of habitats including volunteers’ back gardens before being transferred to a dedicated area at Gateway 14.
Sustainable buildings
Sustainability is really important to us and is central to the way we have designed Gateway 14. As standard, all the buildings at Gateway 14 will have a variety of sustainability features. These could include:
- 20% of parking spaces will have electric vehicle charging, plus another 20% of spaces will be able to have electric vehicle charging installed by the occupier
- Solar panels will be installed on building roofs, or roofs will be built ready for solar panels to be installed by the occupier
- A target to achieve a minimum BREEAM rating of Very Good (a standard method used to measure the sustainability performance of buildings)
- Smart energy systems installed to monitor energy use and identify any ways to help to reduce energy use
- Rainwater harvesting systems to collect rainwater and use it to flush toilets, reducing water usage by around 30-40%
- Buildings will be air tight exceeding building regulations standards, reducing electricity usage and carbon dioxide emissions
- Ultra high efficiency LED lighting with a life expectancy of more than 50,000 hours
- Sensor taps and low flush toilets to reduce water use
Landscaping
To soften views of Gateway 14 from the local area, we are planting more than 30,000 square metres of trees and hedgerows. This planting will be along the boundaries of the site and around individual building plots, and will help the site blend into the local landscape. Some of this planting can be seen in one of the photographs below.
