The Duchy’s sustainability strategy for Nansledan includes measures to enhance wildlife throughout the site and this includes making provision for nesting birds, especially those that nest in buildings, like swifts.

Working closely with the RSPB and the building companies on site, the Duchy is helping to pioneer the use of artificial cavities in buildings that can accommodate swifts but are also likely to be used by other species such as starlings, house sparrows and great tits.

The aim is to prove how these self-contained and unobtrusive boxes can easily be incorporated into new dwellings (see picture above) and public buildings with the aim of encouraging the practice in other developments across the country.

The boxes illustrated are ideal for rendered or clad finishes, and the Duchy is trialling alternative solutions for other construction methods.

“Working with the Duchy of Cornwall and the consortium of builders at Nansledan gives us the opportunity to demonstrate how modern buildings can accommodate nesting boxes in a way that is both unobtrusive and cost-effective, and we hope it is a practice that can be adopted by planners, builders and architects nationwide” – Stephen Fitt, RSPB South West

There is a short film about the nesting box initiative here: