Labour Rejects Swift Brick Proposal for New Homes in England

A proposal to require the inclusion of at least one “swift brick” in every new home built in England has been rejected by Labour at the committee stage of its contentious planning bill.

The amendment, put forward by Labour MP Barry Gardiner, called for developers to include a £35 hollow brick designed to support cavity-nesting birds such as swifts, house martins, sparrows, and starlings. Despite its ecological benefits, the Labour-majority committee chose not to adopt the measure.

Despite the Labour party having supported the swift brick amendment when it was tabled on Conservative government legislation in 2023, housing minister, Matthew Pennycook, told the House of Commons committee: “We are not convinced that legislating to mandate the use of specific wildlife features is the right approach, whether that is done through building regulations or a freestanding legal requirement.”

The rejection comes as public support for swift bricks grows. A new petition urging the government to make them mandatory in new housing developments has rapidly gained traction, reaching 80,000 signatures in just a few days. This follows a 2022 campaign by activist Hannah Bourne-Taylor that gathered 109,896 signatures and led to a parliamentary debate on the issue.

Bourne-Taylor criticised the government’s stance, arguing there is “no logic” in opposing swift bricks, especially when they create win-wins for the economy and nature.

“They are going to be building millions of bricks into walls. I don’t understand why there’s such a problem with a brick with a hole in it. It seems ludicrous,” she said. “Why say your new legislation is a win-win for new homes and the environment and exclude the only measure that is a true win-win?

“They are tone-deaf. This is such a tiny thing they could do, but it’s brewing such a distrust and sense of betrayal among the people who voted for them.”

While some developers have voluntarily started installing swift bricks, a University of Sheffield study found that 75% of bird and bat boxes required under planning conditions were never actually implemented by the time housing estates were completed.

Asked whether he would engage with MPs on how to promote the wider use of swift bricks within the construction industry, housing minister Matthew Pennycook said he was open to discussions. However, he also claimed that reports of his opposition to the proposal had been “spun” by media outlets, despite being accurately reported.

These comments follow Pennycook’s recent defence of the planning bill’s proposed amendments to the Protection of Badgers Act that MPs warned would lead to “hostile treatment” of the much-persecuted animal in which the minister joked: “I would just like to make very clear, for the Guardian article that will no doubt appear tomorrow, that I have no particular animus against badgers in whatever form.”

Bourne-Taylor now hopes the amendment will find support in the House of Lords. If it is rejected again, she plans to revive her campaign and take the issue back to the public.

The rising new petition for swift bricks “just goes to show the public concern,” she said. “The government are not listening to the public or the experts.”

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