Redrow plants bumblebee orchard at Saxon Brook

Redrow Homes has planted a special fruit orchard at its stunning Saxon Brook development to provide a welcome home for bumblebees whose numbers have been declining in recent years.

The award-winning housebuilder has planted 70 trees designed to create a perfect bee habitat in time for the spring, including several apple, plum and pear species.

There will be a further 26,332 plants specifically chosen to enhance the development’s appeal for the buzzing pollen carriers and other wildlife.

Redrow Homes has worked very closely with East Devon Planning Department to select a good mix of plants that would help support the local wildlife and environment.

The scheme is part of a wider initiative which saw Redrow partner with the Bumblebee Conservation Trust in 2014 to boost bumblebee numbers across the UK by using the green spaces at its developments to create special habitats.

Located in Pinhoe, Exeter, this 317-plot development has been chosen as a flagship site for the scheme.

There are currently a range of beautiful four-bedroom homes available to buy at Saxon Brook from £389,995, with further two, three and four-bedroom designs to follow.

Construction began at Saxon Brook in October 2016 and will include a ‘Bumblebee Trail’ to be enjoyed by residents who wish to learn more about the furry pollinators and how to encourage them in their own gardens.

All new homeowners at Saxon Brook will receive a special information brochure with information about bumblebees and how to protect and nurture them and membership of the Bumblebee Conservation Trust.

Michele Jones, area sales manager for Saxon Brook, said: “All the planting across the site has been specifically chosen to encourage and support the local wildlife. As we are also taking extra focus on the bumblebees there is a large amount of planting that has been incorporated to specifically support them.

“Bumblebees are vital to our natural ecosystem – and our foodchain – as they help plants pollinate and reproduce. We’re really pleased to be creating a great environment for furry buzzing friends to flourish and can’t wait to see the results of all this planting in the spring.”

The Heritage Homes being built at Saxon Brook take their design inspiration from the soft colour palettes and traditional structures of the Arts and Crafts movement of the 1920s.

The houses can be specified with appliances by well-known brands such as Siemens and Smeg and will be very energy efficient, offering 35 per cent improvement over homes built just 10 years ago, with the capacity to reduce fuel bills by more than £550 per year.

As part of its planning consent at Saxon Brook, Redrow is making financial contributions to local facilities including over £1m towards education, £520,000 for bus service improvements, and £122,500 towards Exe Estuary habitats.