The ‘highways’ — a series of 13cm x 13cm holes in garden fences — have been added to the standard fencing specifications for all of Keepmoat’s new build projects.

Andrew Boyd, senior environmental sustainability advisor at Keepmoat, said: “As a business we’re incredibly proud of our growth, and with that growth we need to play our part in protecting and enhancing the wildlife we encounter on our developments.

“Within our developments we’re committed to providing communities which promote biodiversity, including the use of hedges, trees, open spaces, gardens, and water-based landscapes, to help wildlife grow and prosper.

“To continue our commitment, the new Hedgehog Highways will feature in our rear and side fencing as standard, to allow hedgehogs to enter and exit gardens as quickly and efficiently as possible.

•   Hilltop launches real estate funding and management platform
•   Keepmoat Homes secures planning permission for 433-home scheme in Nottinghamshire
•   First Homes scheme offering discounted houses for local people and key workers launches

“Over the coming months we look forward to raising awareness of hedgehogs amongst our residents, and the additional steps that can be taken to assist them.

Sally Coulthard, nature columnist and author of The Hedgehog Handbook, added: “The rapid decline of hedgehogs is catastrophic.

“In the 1950s there were 30 million hedgehogs in the UK, but today the best estimate is that they’re down to less than a million.

“The decline is due to a perfect storm of circumstances including the intense agriculture for cheaper food and the removal of these animals’ natural habitat.

“Thankfully, gardens are surprisingly biodiverse, which allows hedgehogs to live happily in built-up areas, however, it’s imperative that we give them a helping hand and allow them to freely roam between green spaces without restriction.

“The Hedgehog Highways created by Keepmoat are absolutely fantastic and will help hedgehogs immensely on their night-time journeys, which can see them travelling up to 2km a night.”