Business parks and biodiversity

It seems that every business park I pass has space for rent, which begs the question of why I can also see more offices being constructed!

However I wonder whether business park owners should do more to try and sell their office space by doing more with the environment around it.

When we buy a house it's location and what we can see out of the window is important, so why not adopt the same principles for where people work, after all most people will spend the majority of their waking hours in some sort of workplace environment.

So here is an opportunity for business park owners to do something for biodiversity and 'green' their estate. But they need to do it properly. This is not just about chucking in some plants at the entrance.

You need a plan. From the plan to you can tell a story. The story becomes part of the attraction of the site.

You can attract birds, butterflies, bats, small mammals......think about sacrificing some car parking spaces (which are lying empty at the moment) for green spaces where people can relax, install a pond or wetland area. Have your buildings and the site surveyed for the suitability of bird, bat and invertebrate homes.

And then ensure everyone knows what you have done. Simple interpretation boards around the site that explains what you're doing and hoping to achieve will bring the initiatives to life.

It doesn't have to cost a fortune, it can be done so that it's easy to maintain but when so many offices are empty it could be the point of difference that makes your business park stand out.