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King Sturge

BATH’S HISTORIC BUILDINGS ARE UNDER THREAT FROM “PEST” BIRDS, WARNS KING STURGE

Property Expert Says Humans Must Adopt A “Greener” Lifestyle To Counter Architectural Damage Caused By Bird Droppings

 A leading property expert has warned that Bath‘s historic buildings are under increasing threat from bird droppings – and says the only long-term solution is for humans to change their lifestyle.

Martin Walker, Building Surveying Partner at King Sturge in Bath, warns that  the increasing number of sea birds and pigeons living in the city centre poses a real threat to its world-renowned Georgian architecture.

He says the acidic content in bird droppings causes damage to buildings long after they have been cleaned up – and that limestone areas such as Bath are  particularly vulnerable.

And he says landlords will have to continue spending time and money on cleaning up buildings until the human population does more to discourage the birds by cutting down on the use of items such as fast food containers, plastic bags and air conditioning – and leaving the car at home more often.

“As well as causing significant health risk and noise nuisance, the plague of birds is damaging Bath‘s heritage buildings,” comments Mr Walker.

“There is now authenticated research confirming that what building surveyors and conservationists in Bath have suspected for many years is indeed true -    that Bath stone is being irreparably damaged by the birds‘ excrement.”

Mr Walker refers to a recent article in the Building Conservation Directory 2007, which highlights that the main problem is acids released from the birds‘ faeces.

The organisms which live in the excrement can cause irreversible damage to building surfaces, potentially causing thousands of pounds worth of damage. And because of the nature of the acids the corrosive effects continue for a long time, even after the stone has been cleaned.

“These birds are not lovers of Georgian architecture,” continues Mr Walker, “but are attracted by the plentiful food offered by the city as well as its warmth, and more importantly, the presence of predator-free nesting sites on roofs and parapets.

“Concealed lead-lined gutters behind parapets provide an ideal nesting ground for gulls. When it rains the dislodged birds‘ nests are flushed into the gutters and down pipes, causing further damage.

“Light pollution from artificial lighting confuses the birds‘ body clocks, causing further noise pollution, while things like traffic and air conditioning units produce additional heat which attracts the birds.

“Meanwhile discarded rubbish from fast food and other outlets, together with household waste on our streets, provides a free breakfast, lunch, tea and dinner for birds. Many of these birds no longer feed at sea but from landfill sites, all thanks to our wastefulness.”

Mr Walker says there are several short-term solutions to the bird plague – but that the long-term answer lies in changing human behaviour.

“One obvious way to reduce this threat is to treat and clean problem areas and then install deterrents such as anti-perching devices, plastic spikes or  netting,” he adds.

“Culling and providing nests so that eggs can be collected and destroyed has been proposed, but is controversial and is not a realistic solution. Our pest birds have no predators with the exception of the pair of peregrine falcons nesting on the spire of St. John the Evangelist in South Parade. These predators cull a few birds but clearly they are not the solution to the problem.

“Likewise bird deterrents and anti-perching devices (wires, spikes or gel) or anti-entry devices are expensive to install, they hinder easy access and maintenance of netted areas and have a limited life of only a few years.

“We need a long-term solution and have to face the fact that the root cause is not the birds themselves, but the human population and the change in our lifestyles in recent years, which attracts birds to all the extra food, light, warmth and comfort we produce.

“In short, this is part of the environmental and sustainability agenda - we need to change our behaviour if we want to rid our towns and cities of pest birds and save our historic buildings.” 

ENDS             28th February 2008

For further information please contact Neil Fraser, Sturgess Van Damme, on 01275 349011 or email neil@sturgessvandamme.co.uk

  

Notes to editors

King Sturge is one of the largest international property consultancies in Europe (52 offices in 17 countries), with a comprehensive network of over 165 wholly owned and associated offices throughout the world.  Over 3,800 staff throughout these offices cover all property sectors and specialisms, including plant and machinery.  In Europe, King Sturge operates in principal mainland European cities.

In Asia Pacific, King Sturge has associations in Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand and Singapore.

In North America, King Sturge has business partners in the Americas and Canada through King Sturge CORFAC International.