Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties: swift bricks

[Catharine Gale]

Hi All

Yesterday Tim Norriss and I had a meeting with Katie Brandham, the Technical Director of Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties. Katie kindly invited me to meet her after I had emailed her, and posted on Taylor Wimpey’s Facebook page, about the lack of swift bricks at their development Broadleaf Park at Rownhams and queried what was happening about their claim that 80% of their homes would have 'bird boxes' from 2023.  

I had sent Katie the link to the webinar on bird bricks (see https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qx5UQ1qnIMw) which she had watched and evidently learnt from. She was very receptive to what Tim and I had to say, and emphasised that Taylor Wimpey’s published target of ’bird boxes’ for at least 80% of new homes on developments built from 2023 was the minimum they were aiming for.    We talked to her about the advantages of installing swift bricks rather than different types of external nest box.   Katie made it clear that she would be happy to increase the provision of swift bricks substantially in two large developments currently underway in Hampshire, at Warsash and Whiteley. To our delight, she then asked us if we would go over the plans on which swift bricks and other types of bird box had been marked up for these two developments and indicate where swift bricks could be installed. Naturally, the answer to this was a resounding ’YES’!

So, all being well, future completed Taylor Wimpey Southern Counties developments should be places where Swifts and other urban bird species can thrive.

Katie mentioned to us that TWSC have just embarked on a huge (4000 plus homes) development with Persimmon Homes in Harwell, Oxfordshire.  Phase I is currently in the planning stage with Vale of the White Horse district council (see https://www.taylorwimpey.co.uk/new-homes/harwell/primrose-gardens-at-valley-park).   She said she had received no comments from any Swift conservation groups so far and would very much welcome them.   She asked for contact details of any local Swift groups.  So if this development is near you, please do comment on the plans, and if you want to email Katie directly, I can let you have her email address.

best wishes

Catharine

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Catharine Gale
Hampshire Swifts
p:	01962 843574  m: 0781 6474238
a:	5 Culverwell Gardens,
	Winchester, Hants SO23 9JG
w:	www.hampshireswifts.co.uk  e: crg...@gmail.com   “working with local Swift groups across the county”   Hampshire Swifts is a registered charity number.1177146

[Helen Lucy]

That’s fantastic, Catharine and Tim. I hadn’t thought of commenting on developer Facebook pages - although it does seem a very obvious thing to do now, as it’s a public forum. It’s good to have sent her the webinar link too … Well done to both of you. Helen. 

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