A First For Council As Ballycastle’s New Leisure Centre Welcomes Endangered Swifts

Construction of Ballycastle’s new Leisure Centre is progressing at pace, but it is not only the progress on site that is cause for celebration.

In a first for Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council (CCGBC), eight specially designed swift bricks have been incorporated into the walls of the new building by GRAHAM, providing valuable nesting spaces for one of our most iconic and threatened migratory birds.

A lifeline for swifts

Swifts migrate here from Africa every year to lay their eggs and raise their chicks before returning to Africa for the winter. One of the only times they are not flying is when they nest: they eat, sleep, drink and mate on the wing. 

These masters of the sky are loyal: to each other (mating for life), and to their nest which they return to year after year. They prefer to nest in small gaps in old buildings but, as more buildings are renovated and new buildings are well sealed, their places to nest are disappearing. The loss of nest sites is part of the reason why swifts have been added to the Red List of Birds of Conservation Concern.

A simple solution with a lasting impact

Swift bricks are specially designed hollow bricks that can be incorporated directly into the fabric of a building. Flush with the wall, they provide a small entrance leading to a larger cavity where swifts can establish their nests.

By incorporating eight swift bricks into the new Leisure Centre, CCGBC and GRAHAM are helping to provide the nesting spaces that these birds increasingly need, while ensuring the provision is integrated into the building from the outset.

Daniel McAfee, RSPB NI Volunteer Swifts Conservation Officer for the North Coast and an active member of the Northern Ireland Swift Group, said:

It is fantastic to see these bricks included in the new building in Ballycastle, and hopefully this will continue across all new Council developments. These eight bricks bring the total number of swift bricks within the Causeway Coast and Glens area to 119, with bricks already installed in buildings including the Old Courthouse in Bushmills, Coleraine NRC, The Marine Hotel in Ballycastle and the new shared Education Campus in Ballycastle. These bricks offer swifts a lifeline and can help address the sharp decline in their numbers. The Causeway Coast and Glens area is quickly becoming a swift hotspot.

Lisa Russell, CCGBC Biodiversity & Habitat Management Officer, said:

I am thrilled to see the Council taking important steps to support these birds. Our draft Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan includes actions to increase provision for nesting birds and other wildlife on our buildings, so we hope to see more opportunities to incorporate features such as swift bricks in the future. I would love to see Northern Ireland follow in Scotland’s footsteps and make it a legal requirement to incorporate swift bricks into new developments.

Biodiversity gains beyond the building

The biodiversity benefits of the new Leisure Centre will extend beyond the building itself.

The grounds will include native plants, as well as species that provide valuable food and habitat for pollinators. This will contribute to the aims of the All-Ireland Pollinator Plan and support actions outlined in CCGBC’s draft Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan.

The draft Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan is currently open for public consultation until 8 October 2026.

Have your say here.