Unanimous backing for Green Councillor Emma Oldham’s call to mandate swift bricks in new housing developments
Proposed by Green Councillor Emma Oldham, the motion calls for the widespread use of swift bricks—low-cost, maintenance-free nesting spaces built into the walls of new homes—to address the alarming decline of cavity-nesting birds such as swifts, house martins, starlings, and sparrows. All four are now on the UK’s Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.
“As we modernise our buildings, we’re unintentionally shutting these birds out,” said Cllr Oldham in her speech to the chamber. “Swifts are almost 100% reliant on buildings for nesting and return to the same sites each year. But modern construction techniques—while beneficial for insulation and energy efficiency—are sealing up the very crevices they need to survive.”
“Swift bricks offer a simple, zero-maintenance solution that can be built into homes from the start, and they work. They give these birds a foothold back into our built environment.”
The motion received full cross-party support—demonstrating the council’s united front on biodiversity loss—and positions Newark & Sherwood as a local authority willing to step up where national government has stalled.
Over 100,000 people have signed a national petition urging the Government to mandate swift bricks. An amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill is currently seeking to do just that—but the Government response has so far stated it’s a “local issue.”
“Well, we’re local,” Cllr Oldham stated. “And this council has a track record of stepping up for nature—from backing the Motion for the Ocean, restoring ancient orchards at Sconce and Devon Park, to working with partners to create pesticide-free towns like Southwell. This is about using our local leadership to push for change, both here and nationally.”
Now passed, the motion commits the Council to:
- Formally support the amendment to the Planning and Infrastructure Bill to mandate swift bricks.
- Write to relevant Ministers and both Newark MP Robert Jenrick and Sherwood MP Michelle Welsh, urging action.
- Explore integrating Swift bricks into all suitable new council housing and commercial builds.
- Encourage the council-owned housing company Arkwood to adopt Swift Bricks district-wide.
- Engage local developers and publish best-practice guidance.
- Embed swift bricks into future planning policy, design codes and biodiversity assessments.
“These tiny birds—barely 45 grams, the weight of 18 jellybeans—travel an astonishing 3,400 miles from Africa to return to our rooftops each year,” said Cllr Oldham. “The very least we can do is make sure they have a safe place to nest when they arrive. This motion takes a proactive, joined-up approach: not just to install swift bricks in the right locations across our district, but to work with developers, planners and communities to embed this into the fabric of our future thinking. I’m incredibly grateful to all councillors for coming together to support it.”