Green Party co-leader backs housing association pledge to install swift bricks in homes

In 2020, swifts were added to the UK’s red list of birds most in need of conservation, with their population having declined by 66% between 1995 and 2022.

They migrate to Africa in winter, where their survival is poor during drought years. In their UK breeding grounds, failure to find nests in modern or refurbished houses and dwindling insect populations are two of the biggest causes of their decline.

Saffron Housing completed 157 new affordable homes in 2023-24, according to its most recent published accounts. The housing association also employs a professional ecologist in the early stages of new developments to advise on ecological mitigations and enhancements.

Saffron said it made the pledge to install swift bricks following an enquiry from Mr Ramsay’s office acting on behalf of a local resident, alongside work with Norwich Swift Network.

Mr Ramsay, who is co-leader of the Green Party in England and Wales, welcomed the housing association’s commitment, calling it “a great example of what should become the norm, not the exception”.

The MP for Waveney Valley said: “With swifts now on the UK’s Red List, we urgently need to protect and restore their nesting sites.

“Swift bricks are a simple, low-cost solution that offer real benefits to these birds and many other species.

“We need to make nature-friendly design and high environmental standards the norm in all new developments. We must build homes that are fit for the future – that means measures that are good for wildlife, and also measures that are good for people and reducing bills such as including renewable energy and high insulation standards as a matter of course.

“I commend Saffron Housing Trust for taking this step and I want to see all housing providers ensuring the highest environmental standards.”

Marie Baynham-Davies, a member of campaign groups Halesworth Swifts and Suffolk Save Our Swifts, who highlighted the issue with Mr Ramsay in a constituency surgery, said: “This is a real boost for swift populations, which have declined by 66% since 1995. Insulation in modern developments means buildings provide no natural nest sites for birds.

“Swift bricks provide a safe cavity for swifts to nest in and cost less than a nest box but last the lifetime of the building.

“It is fantastic that Adrian Ramsay is supporting the use of swift bricks, and we hope that Saffron Housing’s decision to install them shows that putting bricks in new developments is an achievable target for all planners and developers.”