At Story Homes, sustainability isn’t just about building houses – it’s about creating spaces where wildlife can thrive too. One small bird, the swift, has captured our attention recently. Over the past 20 years, swift numbers have plummeted by more than 60%, landing them on the red list of conservation concern. The main culprit? The loss of their natural nesting habitats.
Swifts visit the UK between April and August, during which time they breed and raise their chicks before heading off to warmer climates for the winter. Unlike swallows and house martins, swifts prefer to nest in existing holes, cracks, and crevices, often in older buildings. Modern construction, with its improved energy efficiency and airtight designs, has reduced these natural nest sites, making swifts increasingly dependent on artificial nesting options, like nest boxes or specially designed bricks.
As a housebuilder, we have a unique opportunity to help. One simple, cost-effective solution is the installation of “swift bricks” – hollow bricks that replace a standard brick in a home’s construction. These clever little cavities provide nesting sites for swifts when traditional options are blocked or lost. And the best part? Swifts are tidy tenants, so homeowners often won’t even notice them!
Thanks to a suggestion from the local Penrith Swift Group, we’ve included 196 swift bricks in the plans for our new Fairways Estate in Penrith, with the first six already installed in our show home. We’re thrilled at the thought of these bricks giving swifts a safe place to call home in the years ahead.
But our commitment to nature doesn’t stop with swifts. The Fairways Estate is designed with biodiversity and sustainability at its core. Sustainable drainage system (SuDS) ponds manage water runoff while creating valuable habitats for wildlife. Carefully planned landscaping, including new trees and native plants, enriches the local ecosystem, supporting birds, insects, and other wildlife alike.
By taking these steps, we hope to inspire other developers to think creatively about how new housing can coexist with nature.
