monday 10th january 2022

We create new homes for endangered Swifts

Our East Anglia team has joined forces with Action for Swifts to launch a conservation project in aid of endangered Swifts

A home for nature

Sadly, the population of Swifts in the UK declined by 58% between 1995 and 2018, resulting in the species being added to the UK’s Red List for Birds in December 2021.

To help address this biodiversity crisis, Taylor Wimpey East Anglia has worked with Action for Swifts to incorporate S Bricks (Swift bricks) into the exterior walls of 85 new homes at the Burghley Green development, in Cambourne. More S Bricks are planned for Varsity Grange, in Northstowe. As a result, many local Swifts will now be able to find a safe place to nest when they return from Africa in May.

Other regular visitors to local gardens, such as house sparrows, blue tits, great tits, starlings and house martins, will also benefit from this innovative approach to eco-friendly development.

Dick Newell, spokesperson for Action for Swifts, explained: “We’re grateful to Taylor Wimpey for their help with our projects to help swifts. Trees and hedges can take a few years to get established where new homes are built, so natural habitats can take a long time to materialise. For these reasons, building new homes with ready-made nest bricks is a quick way to tackle the rapid decline of swifts and other small cavity-nesting species.”

To find out more about Action for Swifts, please visit https://actionforswifts.blogspot.com/