Support Swift Bricks for Wales
Do you want to help swifts recover in Wales? Support legislation to ensure that swift bricks are installed in all new buildings in Wales.
In 2024, Julia Barrell launched a petition urging the Welsh Government to require swift bricks in all new buildings. Backed by Wildlife Trusts Wales, RSPB Cymru and community groups, including the Môn Gwyrdd Youth Forum, almost 11,000 people signed the petition, and the proposal was debated in the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in early October.
Swifts in flight © Volunteer Gary Eisenhauer
Swift © Stefan Johansson
Despite support for swifts from a number of Senedd Members, Welsh Government rejected the proposal on the grounds that mandating swift bricks would complicate calculations of net benefit for biodiversity (NBB), and could mean that developers would see installing swift bricks alone as enough to satisfy this National Planning Policy requirement.
Read why we, and our campaign partners, believe this argument does not stand up to scrutiny
We, and our campaign partners at RSPB Cymru, believe that the argument that mandating the installation of swift bricks in all new buildings would undermine the delivery of net benefit for biodiversity (NBB) does not hold up.
If lawmakers agree that swifts need urgent help, it should be entirely possible to integrate mandatory swift bricks within current frameworks. Similarly, the suggestion that developers might try to claim swift brick installation as their sole responsibility under NBB, at the expense of other biodiversity measures, is not a valid reason not to legislate. Given their uniformity, cost effectiveness, ease of installation and multi-species benefits, there is nothing to prevent their mandatory installation in addition to NBB requirements. And the idea that developers would baulk at the prospect of a £35 swift brick per dwelling, which takes 20 minutes to install, seems far-fetched in the context of development proposals for new buildings.
Unfortunately, the Welsh Government’s disappointing response to the proposal meant that, the Petitions Committee were obliged to close the petition at a meeting in November, noting that the issue could be taken up by the separate Parties in their manifestos ahead of the Senedd elections in May 2026.
Swift Brick Campaign 2025 ENG (https://youtu.be/W2SeC4Gpge0)
Iolo Williams, well-known Welsh naturalist, author, TV presenter and vice president of The Wildlife Trusts, calls for Members of the Senedd to support Swift Bricks in Wales.
Why do swifts need our help?
Swifts are extraordinary birds. They spend almost their entire lives in flight, including eating, sleeping and mating – and their evocative calls define our summer. Sadly, those calls are fading out, as swifts are now the fastest declining species in Wales, with numbers having fallen by 75% since 1999. Over half our swifts have been lost in the past decade alone.
Swifts nest in building cavities—often just under rooflines. But renovations and new builds are rapidly removing these crucial nest sites.
Why swift bricks?
Swift Bricks provide safe, long-term nesting sites for swifts and other species like house martins and house sparrows. They:
· Cost as little as £25 per unit
· Require no maintenance
· Last the lifetime of the building
· Are easy to install during construction
Some Welsh housing associations already use them—proving they are practical and effective.
What else do swifts need?
Alongside nest sites, swifts need insect-rich habitats.
Nature-friendly farming and healthy rivers are essential parts of the picture, but swift bricks must be one of many necessary steps taken to restore biodiversity.
What is net benefit for biodiversity?
Welsh Government uses a net benefit for biodiversity (NBB) approach to deliver an overall improvement in biodiversity from building developments. This puts the emphasis on considering biodiversity impacts and benefits, early in the design stage, of developments to benefit wider ecosystem resilience.
‘Net benefit for biodiversity (NBB)’ is a National Planning Policy Requirement in Wales that means development should not cause any significant loss of habitats or populations of species (not including non-native invasive species), locally or nationally and must work alongside nature and it must provide a net benefit for biodiversity and improve, or enable the improvement, of the resilience of ecosystems. A net benefit for biodiversity is the concept that development should leave biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystems in a significantly better state than before, through securing immediate and long‑term, measurable and demonstrable benefit, primarily on or immediately adjacent to the site.
Welsh Government: Planning Policy Wales 12, 2024
We're disappointed but not deterred. We're taking action for swifts!
In the coming months, in the lead up to Senedd elections in May 2026, we will be conveying the message to the Parties that swifts need urgent help now, and that mandating swift bricks is an achievable measure that will help to address their decline, allowing future generations to enjoy swifts’ presence around their homes and communities.
We will be encouraging members of the public to convey this same message to politicians, or those canvassing on their behalf in the run up to elections. We believe that showing that there’s popular support for this proposal could help ensure it is high on the agenda of the next Welsh Government.
Join us in calling on the Senedd to support swifts in Wales.
Swift Bricks are a small change with a huge impact—for swifts, and for nature in Wales.
Community Support
Across Wales, people are taking action: installing nestboxes, monitoring swifts, and spreading awareness. This includes 13 separate Welsh swift groups, from Chirk to Swansea. But they can’t do it alone—Welsh Government must lead.
Let’s Act
Swift bricks are not a substitute for other measures required by Net Benefit for Biodiversity, but complement it, offering an immediate, measurable gain. The urgency is clear, and the opportunity is there.
Swift bricks are proven to be effective. They do not compromise the structural or thermal integrity of the building in any way. To have any chance of restoring their numbers requires a swift brick in every new dwelling. It is simple, low cost and is the right thing to do.Action for Swifts
Swift chick being fed inside swift brick (https://youtu.be/Ql1uATCthAw)
Swift chick being fed inside a swift brick, Chirk, 2024 (Hayley Garrod)
To me, swifts also represent community connection and I am able to bond with people in my community over our desire to watch and protect swifts.member of Môn Gwyrdd Youth Forum
