Controversial anti-bird netting defended by council after county was declared 'plastic-free'

The measures have been put in place at the site of a new super school

By Gareth Wyn-Williams Local Democracy Reporter

05:00, 1 MAY 2019

UPDATED07:31, 1 MAY 2019

The council for a county which recently became the first in the UK to be declared "plastic free" has defended the installation of controversial netting on the site of a planned super school.

Construction is set to start on the multi-million-pound primary school in Llangefni in Anglesey, which will replace Ysgol Bodffordd and Ysgol Corn Hir as part of a school reorganisation project.

But the presence of the plastic nets on hedgerows around the site has caused concern for the RSPB, who fear that birds and other animals could become trapped in them.

Such nets have become a common sight at developments across the UK over recent months, as nesting birds found at a construction site can mean work has to be delayed until the end of their natural season.

The nets are designed to deter birds from nesting and therefore speed up the process.

The installation of the nets at the school site comes a month after Anglesey was awarded "plastic free" community status by conservation group Surfers Against Sewage in a move unanimously backed by the county council.

Continued

Darlington activists tear down developers’ netting after trapped bird dies

Ben Webster, Environment Editor

March 21 2019, 12:01am, The Times

Wildlife campaigners have ripped down nets covering trees and hedges in a backlash against a practice being used by developers to prevent birds nesting.

More than 24,000 people in the past two days have signed a petition on the parliament website calling for netting hedges to be made a criminal offence. The petition organisers say that the practice “threatens declining species of birds, presents a danger by entrapment to wildlife and produces large amounts of plastic waste”.

Developers sometimes cover trees and hedges to ensure that nesting birds do not delay their building plans.

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Concern Over Bird Netting in Scarborough

6:03am 3rd January 2018

Concerns about about anti-bird netting in Scarborough have been raised after a number of endangered Kittiwakes were spotted dead in netting on the Grand Hotel.

Photos on social media show the birds trapped in the netting.

Will Scott@WillboneScott

Shame to see dead Kittiwakes caught in anti-bird netting on @BritanniaLtd's Grand Hotel, Scarborough. @northyorkscc@TheScarboroNews @RSPBNews @Bempton_Cliffs

4:47 PM - Dec 31, 2017

The Kittiwake is described on the RSPB website as gentle looking, medium-sized gulls with a small yellow bill and a dark eye. They have a grey back with white underneath. Their legs are short and black. In flight the black wing-tips show no white, unlike other gulls, and look as if they have been 'dipped in ink'. The population is declining in some areas, perhaps due to a shortage of sandeels. After breeding birds move out into the Atlantic where they spend the winter.

The birds are on the  red list of endangered species with populations though to have declined by 40% since 1970 leaving just 300,000 breading pairs.

In a statement the  RSPB said.

We understand that netting is sometimes used to prevent kittiwakes from nesting on buildings. However, it vital that this is installed correctly and maintained regularly to ensure that it acts as a bird deterrent rather than a death trap.

It is upsetting to see kittiwakes have died in this way especially as they are a nationally declining bird and are of serious conservation concern. We will be contacting The Grand Hotel to request that the netting is repaired immediately so no more birds will
die needlessly.

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