THE Lancashire Wildlife Trust has called on the Government to 'build nature-friendly communities in the right places'.

The trust published new guidelines in an effort to show how new developments could be built to reverse wildlife decline in the North West and the rest of the UK.

It comes after the Government committed to building a further 300,000 homes a year until 2022.

Rachel Hackett, Living Landscapes Development Manager for The Wildlife Trusts says:

“A huge challenge lies ahead – thousands of new houses are to be built yet we need to restore the natural world.

"We’re calling on the government and local authorities to build beautiful, nature-friendly communities in the right places.

"Over the past century we have lost natural habitats on an unprecedented scale. Yet nature has its own innate value.

"It also makes us happy and we depend on the things that it gives us."

For more information, go to wildlifetrusts.org