"The government is refusing to support a new amendment to install a swift brick in every new home, in a U-turn for Steve Reed after becoming housing secretary. As environment secretary, Reed told campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor she was pushing at an open door and he and others had wanted to add to the party's manifesto her proposal that developers must include a 35 hollow brick in every new home."
"Steve Reed wore a Build Baby Build' baseball cap at Labour party conference in September. Photograph: Danny Lawson/PA Bourne-Taylor said: He looked me in the eye and said yes to mandating swift bricks. Now is the perfect opportunity to preserve his own integrity as well as an iconic species for whom swift bricks are a lifeline. He would be preserving everyone's most accessible touch-point to nature."
"The Tory peer Zac Goldsmith has submitted a new swift brick amendment to the House of Lords, which will debate the controversial planning and infrastructure bill on Monday. Asked if Reed would be supporting the amendment, a spokesperson for the Ministry for Housing, Communities and Local Government said: We are already increasing swift brick installation by setting out changes which would require them to be installed in all suitable new homes, and asking developers to begin including swift bricks in new builds."
The government is refusing to support a parliamentary amendment to mandate swift bricks in every new home, reversing earlier backing by Steve Reed when environment secretary. Campaigner Hannah Bourne-Taylor says Reed agreed to mandating swift bricks and urged him to act to protect an iconic species. Swift populations have declined by more than 66% since 1995 as the birds have lost traditional nesting spaces in urban roofs because of new insulation. Tory peer Zac Goldsmith has submitted a swift brick amendment to the House of Lords for the planning and infrastructure bill. The ministry says it will increase installations by consulting on national planning policy changes and asking developers to begin including swift bricks in suitable new builds.
Read at www.theguardian.com
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