Debate on e-petition 626737 relating to swift bricks

A petition (e-petition 626737) calling on the government to make swift bricks compulsory for new housing will be debated in Westminster Hall on 10 July 2023. The petition received over 100,000 signatures and was supported by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB).

Swifts are migratory species of bird that usually arrives to breed in the UK in late April. They typically nest in the eaves of tall older buildings entering through gaps in timber and brickwork.

There is a continuing long-term decline in breeding swift numbers in the UK. Swifts were placed on the UK Red List for birds in 2021 by British Trust for Ornithology (BTO) “due to worsening declines in the breeding population”.

A ‘swift brick’ provides a nesting box for swifts that is fitted into the walls of a building. Brighton and Hove City Council has made swift bricks a requirement in new buildings above 5 metres in height.

In response to the petition calling for swift bricks to be made compulsory for new housing, the government said it would not legislate to require developers or local authorities to use particular forms of building material, such as swift bricks, in every development. The government said particular forms of green infrastructure, such as swift bricks, were not suited to all developments.