Swift action taken by Brighton & Hove Council

As reported in Building.co.uk on the 16th March planning rules passed by Brighton and Hove council will require new developments to contain swift bricks to encourage nesting birds.

A minimum of three swift bricks per dwelling will be needed to meet the new conditions, agreed by council members earlier this month. 

The rule will apply to all new developments above 5m high and is due to be attached to all planning permissions granted after 1st April.

Commercial developments will also be subject to the new conditions which will require one swift brick per 50sq m of floor space.

Swifts often make their nests in the rooftops of buildings after their annual 6,000 mile migration from Africa each spring but modern building methods have been blamed for reducing suitable nesting sites for the birds, which have declined from 150,000 pairs to 90,000 over the past 20 years.

Councillor Alan Robins said the council's planning officers "have come up with a simple scheme that will increase biodiversity and encourage wildlife to thrive in our city".