'Think of the sheer joy of children watching Swifts nesting outside their bedroom windows!'

                                                  

Lord Moylan: "It is a very pleasing thought"

A MEMBER of the House of Lords has spoken enthusiastically about how children might cherish the installation of  Swift bricks outside their bedroom windows.

Lord Moylan told a debate on building regulations: "Think of  the sheer joy of the children in being able to look out of the window and see Swifts not only nesting but flying to and fro, maybe even catching those insects in full sight of their bedrooms. 

"It is a very pleasing thought."

The Conservative peer was one of several who pleaded - to no avail - for the Government to amend building regulations so as to make installation of Swift bricks mandatory in new housing developments.

He insisted: "We should all support this, rally round and make the leap of faith that may be required but is fully justified in this case."

The debate was initiated by longtime Swift brick campaigner Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park (Con) who declared: "As everyone knows, we are in the midst of a rapid and terrifying decline in the populations of all cavity-nesting birds, in particular the iconic Swift. 

"We know, because it is obvious, that a big part of why that is happening is that we are actively removing their homes. 

"The way we build today means that things do not work in the same way: we do not have cavities, and there is no room for species that depend on the nooks and crannies that older buildings have. 

"Even worse for those species, we are seeing the massive rollout of measures making life even more difficult -hopeless, in fact - for those cavity-nesting birds. 

"I do not argue with the measures; I am a supporter of insulation which is a great thing.

" But with millions of older homes - around 50 million so far, I believe - being retrofitted and insulated, and cavities being sealed off, it is no wonder that four of our eight cavity-nesting bird species are now on the dreaded Red List of critically endangered species.

"Luckily, unlike with most of the problems we end up debating in this place, there is a very simple solution. The average two-bedroom brick house uses around 20,000 red bricks. 

"Installing a  single brick with a hole in it would cost around £20.

"It would require zero expertise to install and no maintenance at all - and it works. 

"Wherever these bricks have been installed, they attract Swifts or similar birds.

"In Gibraltar, where installation  is mandated, the the Swift population, having been in steep decline, is now stable.

Lord Goldsmith continued: "In previous debates, it has been suggested that installation should be a voluntary measure.

" Voluntary measures are great, and normally I would support them, but they have not worked in this case

" I do not believe that any developer could or would make, or has ever made, the case that a measure like this would in any way hamper their work or deform the pricing of the houses they have on offer, as the numbers are just so small. 

"The truth is that uch a measure would  not even qualify as a nuisance for builders or developers. That is what all of us interested in this issue have been hearing from the developers themselves. 

"For the Swifts and their cousin sspeciess this is critical and non-negotiable; without these bricks, they have no future in the United Kingdom.

"I hope the Government will simply accept this measure. I remind them again that, in opposition, they were 100 per cent supportive.

"They were wildly enthusiastic about my previous amendment - very vocally so - and, in the opening months, at least, of this Government that enthusiasm absolutely remained in place. 

"I felt that we were over the line; sadly not."

Support came from Lord Randall of Uxbridge (Con) who had his own suggestion.

"There may be an opportunity for the Government to look at higher buildings - perhaps not residential ones, but when new schools or hospitals are being built they could put in Swift bricks."

Meanwhile another champion of mandatory Swift bricks was Lord Empey (Ulster Unionist Party)

" I cannot see a downside to the proposal,"he declared. "And, on balance, it is worth pursuing the amendment because, if it does not affect Swifts in some particular areas - their behaviour may obviously vary from one place to another - other birds would benefit.

"It is surprising how many people are interested in this. 

"In my own region, the Antrim area, a significant number of people are part of a Swift group trying to help the native species recover. We should encourage that.

"I see no downside to the measure and I support it, albeit that we have to accept the fact that there is no silver bullet."

* See also previous report