In a significant move to protect one of Britain's most iconic migratory birds, the Labour government has announced that all new homes built in England will be required to include special 'swift bricks'. The mandate forms part of a major shake-up of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), unveiled on Tuesday.
A Lifeline for a Declining Species
The new planning rules explicitly state that new builds must incorporate nature-friendly features, such as installing swift bricks, to support local wildlife. These cavity bricks, costing around £35 each, are built into the fabric of homes to provide vital nesting spaces for swifts, whose populations have catastrophically declined.
Official estimates show that swift numbers in Britain have plummeted by 66 per cent between 1995 and 2022. This dramatic loss is largely blamed on the disappearance of their traditional nesting sites in buildings, as modern construction methods and insulation seal off the nooks and crannies they have used for centuries. Without urgent intervention, experts fear there could be fewer than 25,000 breeding pairs left within five years.
Swifts, which spend their winters in sub-Saharan Africa before migrating to Europe each summer, are almost entirely dependent on man-made structures for nesting. The government's policy is framed as a pragmatic solution, adding little to overall building costs while delivering a "win-win for nature and housebuilding".
Conservation Backlash Over Biodiversity Exemptions
However, the announcement was met with immediate criticism from leading wildlife and conservation groups. Their anger was directed not at the swift brick policy, but at separate measures within the same planning overhaul that significantly weaken biodiversity net gain (BNG) rules.
Ministers proposed new exemptions to the BNG regulations, which were designed to ensure developers leave nature in a better state than they found it. Under the changes, smaller developments under 0.2 hectares would be exempt, with additional targeted exemptions for brownfield housing sites. The government argued this would speed up delivery and help medium-sized projects.
Conservationists warned this could hollow out the fledgling BNG market and wreck a key environmental policy. Richard Benwell, chief executive of the Wildlife and Countryside Link coalition, stated: 'To meet its electoral promise of halting wildlife decline, Government should strengthen green economy rules, not shrink them.'
Beccy Speight, the RSPB's chief executive, was more forceful, saying the exemption 'flies in the face of the UK Government's promise to be the most nature-positive government this nation has ever had'. She accused the government of choosing 'developers' profits over public health and wellbeing'.
Planning Push vs. Environmental Protection
The tension highlights the government's challenging dual priorities: unblocking the planning system to meet its ambitious target of building 1.5 million new homes in England over five years, while also fulfilling its environmental commitments. Labour has previously cited bats, newts, and other protected species as obstacles in its drive to accelerate construction.
In the House of Commons, Housing Minister Matthew Pennycook directly addressed this conflict. Responding to Green Party MP Ellie Chowns, who accused him of "pitting nature protection against house building," Mr Pennycook insisted: 'I have never and I will not pit development against the environment. This Government has sought a win-win for both.'
Despite this assurance, the simultaneous introduction of the popular swift brick mandate and the dilution of broader biodiversity rules leaves the government's overall environmental strategy facing pointed questions from its natural allies in the conservation movement.
