New Homes Must be Bird-Friendly Despite Reeves War on “Green Tape”
New homes will have to include special bricks for endangered birds such as swifts under Labour’s new planning rules, despite Rachel Reeves’s war on “green tape”. The Telegraph has the story.
In a shake-up of England’s planning rules, Labour will insist that new builds are fitted with nature-friendly features such as swift bricks, hollow nesting boxes for the bird species that fit into walls.
The Chancellor has railed against “green tape” holding back the economy, saying that businesses should be able to “focus on getting things built and stop worrying about the bats and the newts”.
Earlier this year, she complained that “absolutely insane” environmental regulation had become a “barrier” to investment, pointing to the £100 million spent on a ‘bat tunnel’ as part of HS2.
However, the Government has now announced that it will introduce rules, designed to protect endangered species, for new builds.
The measures are included in its proposed overhaul of England’s national planning policy framework (NPPF), hailed as the “biggest rewrite” of the planning rulebook in a decade.
Labour said the reforms would help to hit its target of building 1.5 million new homes by the end of this Parliament.
Among the “key revisions” listed on Tuesday was the statement: “New builds to include nature-friendly features, such as installing swift bricks to support wildlife – adding little to building costs whilst delivering a win-win for nature and housebuilding.”
Swifts nest in nooks and crannies in Britain’s buildings. Once a common sight in English skies, their numbers are now declining, placing them on the UK’s red list for birds.
A lack of nesting sites is thought to be one reason behind a falling population, as well as reduced food supplies because of a drop in the number of insects available to eat.
It is understood the bricks will be treated as a requirement for new homes, with developers expected to include them unless there are compelling technical reasons preventing their use or making them ineffective.
Worth reading in full.
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Provided that such bricks are easily available this seems like a very simple to implement measure that costs very little and materially benefits other species.
I see bat shelters on many new builds these days, so part of this suggestion is already being done. The bricks for birds can easily be placed during construction.
i cannot be the only person to recall those birds in swarms when no such bricks were available.
This is eco nonsense. Pretend to care to get votes. Won’t work.
💯
I wasn’t thinking it would procure any votes, but it’s something a little helpful to the little birds that I do enjoy seeing around and their numbers are way down on where they were even 10 years ago around my way.
Tyrbiter, you are absolutely right to notice the decline in swifts in your area, as this article shows:
Swifts’ decline: how can Britons help these remarkable birds? | Focusing on Wildlife
“What are the prospects for swifts?Grim. Swift populations in Britain slumped by 66% between 1995 and 2022 and have continued a rapid downward trend. Since the last count of 59,000 breeding pairs, the population this summer is set to be just 40,000 pairs. In five years’ time there could be fewer than 25,000, unless action is taken.”
“Declines are not so pronounced across continental Europe, despite similar insect declines. Countries such as Germany and France appear to have retained more nesting sites in old buildings than Britain, where few buildings constructed after 1944 can accommodate swifts.”
No you are not. Swifts are ubiquitous in villages and towns – have been since my childhood. I’m 73.
No, far from “ubiquitous”, swift populations are in rapid decline:
Swifts’ decline: how can Britons help these remarkable birds? | Focusing on Wildlife
Have you forgotten the /sarc, Tyrbiter?
No, because I do rather like the swallows appearing and for whatever reason after something dislodged the nests on my house they are far fewer in number.
Of course I realise that this is turd polishing, but these days I’m prepared to be happy when there’s some glitter to roll them in.
You are right! Never mind the sneerers.
Target of 1,500,000 homes in (round figures) 1,250 days is 1,200 per day. Assuming a 12hr working day, that’s a hundred an hour. Odds?
STOP IT WITH YOUR EVIL MATHS AND GENERAL CYNICAL NASTINESS
‘Old habits’ MAk..
I think they missed their target in the first week of this dreadful government of morons.
Having thoroughly studied Hannah Bourne-Taylor marching to promote swift bricks I am in complete agreement with this policy.
I’d never heard of her until this.
Neither had I, but she seems a really great person.
Totally off T
This is the most frightening piece of surveillance legislation I’ve ever seen, anywhere. The government wants manufacturers to pre-install tamperproof scanning software in every smartphone to scan in real time for content that could be “harmful to children”. All your private pictures, all your documents, messages, the government demands access to everything.
How long before definitions of harmful are expanded to political ideas. You can bet your bottom dollar that all your wrongthink will be logged against your compulsory digital ID in one of the new mega data centres. They are planning a social credit system on steroids with zero privacy. This is not fake news, there’s a link to the amendments in the article.
https://slaynews.com/news/uk-lawmakers-push-mandate-surveillance-tracking-smartphones-child-safety/
What a stunning photo, and what a wonderful idea! But how can it help migrating birds from being killed by wind turbines?
Birdwatchers see rare swift killed by turbine | The Herald
My thought exactly, and I am sure covering farmland with solar panels really helps birds too.
I would be more than happy to see every wind turbine dismantled, not just because they kill birds.
Thank goodness for Labour, without them we would have neither nooks nor crannies nor swifts.
Nor rising unemployment.
Compared with the additional costs and red tape incurred through new builds having to have heat pumps, solar panels and goodness knows what else to meet net zero targets a few swift bricks isn’t going to make any noticeable difference to how many homes get built or how much they cost.
Infestations of bird lice from nestlings?
Swifts next under the eaves of buildings. How can there be a shortage of nesting site – we now have more building than before?
I think it’s House Martins that like nesting under the eaves, not swifts.
I’ve got Golden Eagle and Albatross bricks in my house – in fact the whole wall is missing
Clearly ignorant of the nature of these birds, we live in a very rural area which has been home to swallows for generations, they ignore the purpose built structures, and instead make their nests under the eaves of the barn or in the corner of the front door.
likewise Bat homes are ignored.
Its just so much BS. Birds know where they want to nest and it aint Labour constructed.
Swifts don’t nest under the eaves.
Just out of interest… How to Tell the Difference Between Swallows, Swifts & House Martins – Birdwatching UK “Nesting Habits of Swallows, Swifts & House Martins Swallows Swallows build cup-shaped mud nests, often found in barns, stables, and under bridges. They prefer open, sheltered spaces with easy access to feeding areas. They are highly territorial about their nesting sites and may return to the same location year after year. A swallow’s nest is typically lined with soft materials like feathers to provide insulation and comfort for the chicks. Swifts Swifts nest in crevices, holes in buildings, and cliffs. THEY DO NOT BUILD MUD NESTS like swallows or house martins; instead, they use saliva and small plant materials to create a nest in enclosed spaces. Swifts are unique in that they rarely land, spending almost their entire lives in flight, even sleeping while airborne. Because of this, their nests are often difficult to spot, and their nesting habits are less familiar to casual birdwatchers. House Martins House martins construct rounded mud nests under the eaves of houses and buildings. Their nests are completely enclosed except for a small entrance hole. They often nest in colonies, which distinguishes them from swallows, who usually… Read more »
Useful info – swifts sleep on the wing? – how the heck do they do that? Sounds dangerous!
How do the swifts fill in the planning application?
do they need to insulate and use heat pumps?
do they nedd an EPC?🤣
At least when they have to pay for it, they can do a SWIFT transfer…
(sorry, I’ll get me coat… it’s almost Christmas after all)