MORE swifts could be seen in the skies above Kendal after nesting sites for the annual summer visitor were included in the planning conditions for redeveloping K Village.

Following lobbying by local conservationists, the developer, Lou Kendal Limited, has agreed to include provision for 15 swift bricks - hollow blocks which are sized to hold a nest – to be fitted beneath the eaves of the Lound Road frontage of the building.

And the planning consent granted to the company will ensure they will be maintained for the lifetime of the development.

Ros Taylor, from the conservation group Kendal Swifts, said: “We are delighted that this has been agreed, and I would like to thank Cumbria Wildlife Trust so much for the support that they have given us. We would not have been able to get this condition without the support we have had from Cumbria Wildlife Trust, RSPB and others.”

It is hoped the measure at the Lound Road development will address the dramatic fall in swift numbers over the past decade. David Harpley, conservation manager at Cumbria Wildlife Trust, said: “The number of swifts in the town has declined over recent years. Around 10 years ago there were still great flocks of swifts chasing and screaming at each other above Kendal and along the river but numbers have declined radically.”

Swifts rely on man-made structures to nest and always return to the same site each year. As old buildings have been demolished or renovated and swift holes blocked up, nesting sites have rapidly declined. Despite the best efforts of groups across the country, swift populations in the UK declined by 51 per cent between 1995 and 2015.

Mr Harpley said: “Most swifts nest in gaps between the tops of walls and below the eaves of buildings, so if these gaps are filled or the buildings are knocked down they’ll struggle to find another suitable nest.

“Including swift bricks in new buildings is a great way to ensure these much-loved birds don’t lose their nesting sites.”We hope that other developers will include this simple and inexpensive measure in future new builds.”

This has earned them an amber listing under the Birds of Conservation Concern(BoCC4). So, it is important to the birds’ survival that new nesting sites are created to make up for those lost.

Kendal Swifts received enormous support from local societies and organisations and individuals who wrote in support of placing swift nesting sites under the eaves. Inaddition,

Lou Kendal, owners of K Village, have been receptive to the submission. Hopefully, this will set a precedent in Kendal, and we’ll see other developers including next boxes in their building designs.

Ros Taylor, of Kendal Swifts, said: “We are grateful to everyone who wrote in support, as this is the first (but hopefully not the last) time in Kendal that we have been able to get internal swift bricks installed as part of a development. We would also like to thank Lou Kendal Ltd who have taken the bold step of doing something innovative for the town,and we hope that the sight of the birds in the summer will be a great attraction once swifts get themselves installed.”