The Common Swift Apus apus has adapted to nest in urban environments. Each Spring, these birds make the epic journey from Africa to the UK, usually arriving in the North East in early May, to nest in the eaves of properties.

Newcastle - a city of sanctuary - provides homes for nesting swifts, where their ‘screaming parties’ and aerial acrobatics provide the backdrop to Summer, with many local communities eagerly awaiting the return of 'their' migrant swifts each Spring.

But we have a problem. The UK population of Common Swift declined by 68% from 1995-2023 and the species is now red-listed on the IUCN UK Birds of Conservation Concern. This devastating decline is due to a number of factors including insect loss, changing weather patterns and - most notably - loss of nesting sites.

New houses and modern builds often provide limited nesting opportunities for swifts and other cavity-nesting birds and many buildings that do provide nesting opportunities are being – or have been – renovated or refurbished, resulting in loss of nesting sites.

Newcastle Great Park, the largest housing development in the North East with almost 3,000 houses, has installed a paltry number of swift bricks – around 40 - and the recent refurbishment of council-owned houses across Newcastle has resulted in loss of nesting sites.

Localised Swift conservation efforts are taking place across the city, but Newcastle City Council has no planning policy relating to swifts and the draft Local Nature Recovery Strategy falls short of securing the protection these birds deserve. 

Internally fitted Swift bricks – cheap and easy to install - are a simple and effective solution. The UK Government recently refused to mandate Swift bricks in new developments, stating that the responsibility should lie with local authorities. 

We must urge Newcastle City Council to introduce a policy to protect and enhance Newcastle’s Swift population.

A petition with more than 2,500 signatures will force the full council to debate our request in public.

Please sign and share to urge Newcastle City Council to mandate and enforce Swift bricks in all new developments and refurbishments across the city.