Tony Harwood champions swift nest box rollout in Maidstone

Tony Harwood has been at the heart of an important new project to protect one of Maidstone’s last remaining swift colonies, with free nest boxes now being installed across Curzon Road, Grecian Street, Salisbury Road and Waterlow Road.

The installation follows an overwhelming response from local residents after Maidstone Borough Council partnered with High Weald Swifts to offer free swift boxes and professional installation in the Fant area.

The scheme is focused on four hotspot streets where one of Maidstone’s few surviving swift colonies still returns each summer.

Tony Harwood, Cabinet Member for Planning Policy and Management, has played a major role in helping drive the project forward and supporting residents to get involved.

He said:

“When I was growing up, swifts were a common sight and sound in the skies over Maidstone. These wonderful birds, with a lineage that can be traced back to the days of the dinosaurs, have declined by more than 60% since 1995.

We all have the power to take a small action that can make a big difference and help tackle the ongoing and catastrophic collapse in our wildlife populations.”

The wider work has been strengthened by £11,000 from the council’s Nature Recovery Fund, awarded to High Weald Swifts to help protect the local colony and raise awareness of the rapid decline in swift numbers.

Tony’s strong support for this project highlights the growing importance of local action to protect biodiversity, restore habitats and ensure future generations can continue to enjoy the sight and sound of swifts in Maidstone’s skies.

Residents can still play their part by recording sightings through the Swift Mapper app, and creating more insect-friendly gardens by planting native wildflowers, shrubs and trees.

This initiative also reflects the importance that Liberal Democrats place on protecting and enhancing our local environment through practical, grassroots action that residents can be directly involved in.

Protecting biodiversity is not an abstract idea. It is about safeguarding the birds, insects, plants and habitats that give Maidstone its character and sense of place. Once species such as swifts are lost from our neighbourhoods, they are unlikely ever to return, taking with them part of the natural heritage of our town. That is why small local actions, such as installing nest boxes, can make such a lasting difference.