At Lucy Developments, we understand the importance of promoting biodiversity and maintaining population levels of local wildlife.

Where appropriate, we are installing swift bricks or boxes under the eaves of our new developments, providing homes for the local population and helping to preserve and expand the population. The swift is an amber-listed bird of conservation concern in Ireland and Europe, mainly because the recent loss of breeding places. They breed in buildings either at the top of walls behind the fascia board or in holes in walls. When buildings are renovated the modern techniques used mean that the building walls are fitted so tightly that they usually exclude Swifts from nest sites.

With the increase in the development of new building sites and the redevelopment of older buildings, especially in rural areas, availability of roost sites for bat species is becoming more limited. However, bats can be encouraged to remain at older sites or colonise new sites by incorporating artificial roost spaces into the building during the build or renovation process. We are therefore committed to encouraging bats to roost in our new properties by installing bat roosting bricks.

Bees are an important part of the environment, and where possible we install bee bricks to be used by solitary bees. These create a nesting habitat within the brick, but the bees are unable to enter the home. Installing bee bricks is increasingly being recommended planners and ecologists to increase biodiversity.