Campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor fears goal of requiring all new homes in England to include a hollow brick to help endangered cavity-nesting birds may be dropped

On more than 50 occasions over the past three years, Hannah Bourne-Taylor has lugged an oversized brick through the parliament’s security screening.

Security staff know her fondly as “the swift brick lady”. But now Bourne-Taylor is having to ruffle political feathers over what appears the simplest of nature-friendly measures – a small legal clause requiring all new dwellings to include a £35 hollow brick, providing homes for endangered cavity-nesting birds including swifts, house martins, sparrows and starlings.

After walking naked except for a thong through London – twice – to raise awareness of the plight of swifts, winning a parliamentary debate and cross-party support for the brick, Bourne-Taylor is facing her greatest foe yet: a Labour government terrified of voters defecting to Reform.

  • MouldyCat@feddit.ukEnglish
    1·
    27 days ago

    who (if anyone) is profiting off of the high costs of the bricks?

    If the these become required, will every brick manufacturer be able to produce them, bringing the price of them down?

    They seem to be a generic concept - basically they are like bird houses in the shape of a brick, so anyone can make them. The ones I’ve seen from a quick internet search are all made of different types of plastic stuck together i.e. they are not a really simple thing to make. So I guess that, along with supply and demand (only one or two are needed per new house), is why they are relatively expensive.