Housebuilders may be forced to stipulate the amount of bat boxes they will use on a development to get planning permission if the government brings in a “green points” systems developed by Essex county council. Developers would require at least 100 “green points” per hectare to win planning permission. Points will be scored for features such as trees (one point each), grass meadows on the roof (half a point per 10 sq m) and nesting boxes or bat boxes (0.2 of a point each). Baroness Andrews, the under-secretary of state for housing, said: “We want to see this adopted elsewhere. We would like this to be a template for people to change their communities. That is why roof gardens, balconies and public gardens are important. We need to redefine our notion of private space without thinking we have to build private gardens.” Few will be allowed private gardens or yards of more than 15ft by 15ft. Ivan Ball, director of sustainable communities for Linden Homes, said: "The possibility of a third system coming into play would only confuse the situation even further, for while the principles of Essex County Council’s blueprint are sound, they are not new. It is imperative …