Birdboxes
PAGE INDEX
1. Birdbox Overview
2. FÅGELHUS X FÅGELHUS 2.0
3. Install Locations (ongoing)
1. Birdbox Overview
To encourage the nesting of Swifts in Croydon, we have produced a series of Swift Boxes which will be placed within a number of loved, sentimental and contested buildings under threat of closure, privatisation and the prospective transformation into luxury flats. All buildings serve a community function and are public assets, top-down decisions motivated by economics have rendered these community facilities vulnerable to being sold. Given that Swifts are Red List species with a number of legal protections, the purpose of the birdboxes is to irritate, stall and disrupt any future large-scale planning applications by laying the conditions for a web of red tape, delays and negative PR.
In the context of species decline, shortages of affordable housing and community centres being replaced by luxury flats, the FÅGELHUS mobilises a cross species coalition of care and disruption. Under the protection of British Law, the nesting of endangered birds can stall, irritate and activate a web of red-tape in the eyes of planning; FÅGELHUS is a tool of resistance against those who are determining our current and future urban environments.
2. FÅGELHUS X FÅGELHUS 2.0
We have worked with Architectural Collective Feral Partnerships to design FÅGELHUS 2.0 as an experimental Swift box which can be quickly installed and attached via a hanging mechanism suitable for drainpipes or any other hangable feature. FÅgelhus acts as a simplified model which is more accessible to the DIY user. In order to protect endangered spaces in their local context or to attract and protect swifts in the area, individuals or organisations can use the FÅGELHUS, which we have freely distributed as a step-by-step.
Step-by-step Manuel available here:
3. INSTALL Locations (ongoing)
The following buildings and sites are owned by the council and have been included in ‘Tranche 2’, a list of Croydon Council asset disposals announced in December 2023.*
South Norwood Library and SoulFood Gardens were not included on Tranche 2*
We hope to place a FÅGELHUS in the following buildings:
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Crosfield Nursery School and Children's Centre (CONFIRMED) - A state-funded nursery for children aged 2 to 5. In spring 2023, Croydon council proposed plans to reduce the number of maintained nursery schools 'via closure or amalgamation'. Read more here.
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Norbury Tennis Club (CONFIRMED) - a local tennis and social club with a clubhouse that's frequently rented out for events and celebrations.
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Selhurst Children's Centre (CONFIRMED) - Another state-funded local nursery which ran the risk of closing in 2023.
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Cornerstone House (community hall) (CONFIRMED) - A variety of meeting rooms that are available to the community for hire, including a large meeting hall, a kitchen and a classroom.
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Waterside Centre (Norwood Sports Club, South Norwood Grounds Cricket Ground) (CONFIRMED) - A victorian building which hosts a range of activities including resident meetings, community events and, sports and leisure activities.
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Soulfood Garden (CONFIRMED) - (Not included on Tranch 2) Soulfood Gardens is a guerilla community garden created by local residents on a disused brownfield site. The garden grows vegetables, which are then distributed throughout the community and serves as a social space for locals to gather.
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South Norwood Library - (Unconfirmed, Not included on Tranch 2) Still in operation (albeit only two days a week due to a lack of funding), the library is regarded as a valuable example of local brutalist architecture. It has come dangerously close to closure in recent years and has experienced a lot of uncertainty regarding its future. Following a very strong community campaign, the library's current state appears to be safe but has the potential to revert to uncertainty. Read more here.
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