We need your help now!

We need your help to make Swift bricks mandatory in all new buildings in the Leeds City Council area. Following the last consultation, Swifts are on the agenda at the Council, so we now have a chance to make this happen!

The Leeds Local Plan is currently up for public consultation – closing on September 15th. Leeds Swifts as an organisation has already responded, but we need as many individuals as possible to comment too. It is quick and easy to do, and there are instructions and suggestions on what to say below:

Here's the link direct to the Environment section which you can complete and submit. You'll then need to fill out your postcode and email address. You'll then receive with a link by email that you must click on to confirm submission of your comments!

https://leedslocalplan.commonplace.is/en-GB/proposals/v3/habitats-and-species?step=step1

Note that Option 1 provides an opportunity to enhance actions for biodiversity, if that's what you would like to recommend. Some of the following points might be useful to include, but make sure you respond with your own thoughts in your own words:

• Installation of Swift bricks should be mandatory in all new buildings.

• Swifts are a red-listed birds that depend entirely on cavities in buildings for nesting.

• There is no consideration given to Swifts in the BNG calculations, so there is a need to make specific policy for swift bricks.

• Swifts are losing their habitat as older buildings are renovated and made energy efficient.

• To mitigate for this, we need to provide future homes for swifts by building swift bricks into all new buildings. At least one brick per new dwelling, to be organised in colonies as per BS42021. An even higher ratio should be considered.

• Currently LCC has guidance for Swift bricks but it is often overlooked as it is only guidance, not policy. Many councils have already made Swift bricks mandatory.

• The policy should provide separate requirements for Swift bricks and Bat bricks, rather than either/or, as the guidance currently says.

• There needs to be consideration given for the preservation of existing Swift colonies in Leeds such as: Thorner, Otley, Gledhow, Crossgates, Pudsey, Poole Estate.

• Use of pesticides by the council should be reduced or eliminated, in order to preserve insect populations which are an essential part of the food chain. Over 50 UK councils are already entirely pesticide free.

After filling out your answers, click on "Next" at the bottom of the page. Then fill out your postcode and email address before clicking on the link that's sent to you by email.

Please help spread the word to others. Thanks so much for your time!

Leeds Swifts