A GRAND moated residence is up for grabs by any homeless water voles in need of shelter as a housing developer has retrospective planning permission for a wildlife refuge approved.

Persimmon Homes has already built the des res for Ratty - the water vole character immortalised in Wind in the Willows - after the creatures were seen there in 2015.

The firm built a flood-protected raised island and restored an area to replace wetland habitat lost through the construction of homes at Germany Beck, Fulford.

However, members of City of York planning committee heard that there are no water voles currently living on the huge development site.

Cllr John Galvin said: “I think this is a cracking idea and I am sure when some water voles hear about it they will be marching across the grasslands to take up residence.”

Work on the water vole habitat was carried out under a licence from Natural England.

Water voles have seen a rapid decline since Kenneth Grahame wrote his famous novel in 1908.

It is Britain’s fastest declining wild mammal and has disappeared from many areas where it was once common, according to The Wildlife Trusts..

It is threatened by habitat loss, but has suffered from predation by the introduced American mink.

The water vole is fully protected under Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and is a priority conservation species, which means Persimmon is obliged to protect them.

And the wetland habitat south of Germany Beck is designated a Site of Importance to Nature Conservation.