DIRFT III and Lilbourne Meadows

DIRFT III is a significant rail-served logistics park comprising of 7.9 million square foot of logistics space and a new rail freight terminal. BCA have been involved in the infrastructure planting and detailed design of each of the development plots as well as site supervision during their construction. For one unit BCA were also involved in the internal planting design to the welfare area.

As part of the DIRFT III development a 193 acre nature reserve is being collaboratively created by Prologis and The Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire Wildlife Trust.

Once complete, Lilbourne Meadows will provide a huge mixed habitat of lakes, wetland, grassland, woodland and an extensive hedgerow network. Ecological surveys carried out in the early stages identified the presence of a significant population of bats and so a purpose-built bat house was constructed to replace existing roosts across the site.

The Wildlife Trust have been using rare breed sheep have been grazing the grassland pasture to help improve the habitat for wildflowers and invertebrates and will continue to manage to site long term for the benefit of biodiversity and the local community.