Use of bird netting on council buildings in the past 5 years
Case reference FOI2025/02238
Received 13 November 2025
Published 8 December 2025
Request
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the use of bird deterrent netting on buildings owned, managed, or maintained by the council.
Please provide the information in an electronic format (such as an Excel spreadsheet, Word document, or PDF).
Please provide the following information covering the past five years (from 2019 to 2024), or for as many years within that period as records are available:
1. Number of Buildings
a) The number of council-owned or managed buildings where bird netting is installed (please include current and, if known, past installations within the five-year period).
2. Bird Deaths and Entanglements
a) The number of dead birds found in bird netting each year.
b) The number of birds found trapped or entangled in bird netting each year, broken down by species if recorded.
c) Of those found trapped, how many were found dead and how many were rescued alive.
d) For any birds found alive, please state what happened to them (e.g., released on site, taken to a vet, taken to a wildlife rescue, handed to a pest control contractor, or culled).
3. Monitoring and Maintenance
a) How often the bird netting is inspected.
b) How often the netting is repaired or replaced.
c) How many reports the council receives each year of trapped birds in its netting.
d) How often the council checks that bird netting is not causing harm to birds and that it remains in good repair.
4. Rationale and Alternatives
a) The reasons the council uses bird netting on its buildings.
b) Whether alternatives to bird netting were considered before installation (and if so, what alternatives were assessed).
5. Financial Information
a) The total amount spent by the council on bird netting installation, maintenance, and repair for each of the past five years.
Response
I am writing to request information under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 regarding the use of bird deterrent netting on buildings owned, managed, or maintained by the council.
Please provide the information in an electronic format (such as an Excel spreadsheet, Word document, or PDF).
Please provide the following information covering the past five years (from 2019 to 2024), or for as many years within that period as records are available:
1. Number of Buildings
a) The number of council-owned or managed buildings where bird netting is installed (please include current and, if known, past installations within the five-year period).
Answer: The Service Area have advised the only building that has had past and current netting is the Town Hall on one side.
2. Bird Deaths and Entanglements
a) The number of dead birds found in bird netting each year.
Answer: This information is not held.
b) The number of birds found trapped or entangled in bird netting each year, broken down by species if recorded.
Answer: This information is not held.
c) Of those found trapped, how many were found dead and how many were rescued alive.
Answer: This information is not held.
d) For any birds found alive, please state what happened to them (e.g., released on site, taken to a vet, taken to a wildlife rescue, handed to a pest control contractor, or culled).
Answer: This information is not held.
3. Monitoring and Maintenance
a) How often the bird netting is inspected.
Answer: The Service Area have advised we do not have a maintenance review schedule in place.
b) How often the netting is repaired or replaced.
Answer: Please see the response to Q3a above. Netting is repaired or replaced as and when required.
c) How many reports the council receives each year of trapped birds in its netting.
Answer: This information is not held.
d) How often the council checks that bird netting is not causing harm to birds and that it remains in good repair.
Answer: Please see the response to Q3a and Q3b above.
4. Rationale and Alternatives
a) The reasons the council uses bird netting on its buildings.
Answer: The Service Area have advised netting is used to protect the building and reduce nesting locations that require constant cleaning.
b) Whether alternatives to bird netting were considered before installation (and if so, what alternatives were assessed).
Answer: The Service Area have advised bird spikes and gel have been used previously and are still in use in some areas.
5. Financial Information
a) The total amount spent by the council on bird netting installation, maintenance, and repair for each of the past five years.
Answer: The Service Area have advised there was a one-off installation cost in 2023 for £1,650. There were no expenditures in the years 2019, 2020, 2021, 2022 or 2024.
Documents
This is Herefordshire Council's response to a freedom of information (FOI) or environmental information regulations (EIR) request.
You can browse our other responses or make a new FOI request.