Our Ref: 29N.

PA0043
P.A.Reg.Rcf:
Your Ref:

Dublin Swift Conservation Group

C/0 Helen Burke
483 South Circular Road
Rialto
Dublin 8
8th October 2015

Re: Health Infrastructure Development comprising National Paediatric

Hospital, Innovation Centre and Family Accommodation Unit at St
James' Hospital Campus, Satellite Centres at Tallaght & Connolly
Hospitals and Construction Compound at Davitt Road, Dublin.
Dear Madam,

An Bord Pleamila has received your recent submission in relation to the above mentioned proposed development and will
take it into consideration in its detenninationof the matter. A receipt for the fee lodged is enclosed.
The Board will revert to you in due course with regard to the matter.
Please be advised that copies of all submissions I observations received in relation to the application will be made
available for public inspection at the offices of Dublin City Council, Fingal County Council and South Dublin County
Council and at the offices of An Bord Pleamila when they have been processed by the Board.
If you have any queries in the meantime please contact the undersigned officer of the Board. Please quote the above
mentioned An Bord Pleamila reference number in any correspondence or telephone contact with the Board.

Encis.
ADHOC/PA0043/0 1

fcil I() I) !IS!I !llfMl Tel

Cilao ,\ililiil lli'!U27S 17~ LoCal!
M Sr:iul M:ouill>hmlc,

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Lauhrcin Cirea"iiu "" w.plcan:~l:o oc \\'ch

Rfomhpht"1 hnrdlfoplcanala ic Email

(H 1\btlht,ruugh Street.

Duhlin I

Our Ref: 29N.PA0043

P.A.Reg.Ref:
Your Ref:

Paul O'Neill
National Paediatric Hospital Development Board
C/0 G.V.A. Planning & Regeneration
Floor 2, Seagrave House
19~20 Earlsfort Terrace
Dublin 2
5th October 2015

Re: Health Infrastructure Development comprising National Paediatric

Hospital, Innovation Centre and Family Accommodation Unit at St
James' Hospital Campus, Satellite Centres at Tallaght & Connolly
Hospitals and Construction Compound at Davitt Road, Dublin.
Dt>.ar Sir,
Enclosed for your information is a copy of submission(s) received by the Board in relation to the above mentioned
proposed development.
If you have any queries in relation to the matter please contact the undersibtned officer of the Board.
Please quote the above mentioned An Bord Pleamlla reference number in any correspondence or telephone contact with
the Board.
Yours faithfully,

Encls.
PA08.LTR

Tcol iUitK~N HIIHI Tel

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h-1 Srj1~ ~""'ilhhritlc.

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Ronmhflh"'' h<Jrtl''' flk.mal:o ce I macl

CH

1\l:orlh<rnu~h

Street,
l)uhlin I

Our Ref: 29N.PA0043

P.A.Reg.Ref:

An Bord Pleam11a

Your Ref:

Chief Executive Officer

Dublin City Council
Civic Offices
Wood Quay
Dublin 8
5th October 2015
Re: Health Infrastructure Development comprising National Paediatric
Hospital, Innovation Centre and Family Accommodation Unit at St
James' Hospital Campus, Satellite Centres at Tallaght & Connolly
Hospitals and Construction Compound at Davitt Road, Dublin.

Dear Sir/Madam,
Enclosed for your information are two copies of submissions received by the Board in relation to the above mentioned
proposed development.
Please ensure that a copy of each submission is available for public inspection at the offices of the planning authority.
If you have any queries in relation to this matter please contact the undersigned officer of the Board. Please quote the
above mentioned An Bord Pleanala reference number in any correspondence or telephone contact with the Board.
Yours faithfully,

En cis.
ADHOC/ PA0043/02

Tcol Oil

1>-1 Sr.oitl Manilhhritlc.

ll:tilc Ath.o Cli:tth I

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Lauhrc.in Grea''"" """'" .pkan:tl:o cc \\ch
Rit>mhpho't 1Mord" plcanatuc I m.nl

St reel
()uhhn I

(lol ~ larlhnrnugh

Our Ref: 29N.PA0043

P.A.Reg.Ref:

An Bord Pleanala
t-

~1,

Your Ref:

Chief Executive Officer

Fingal County Council
County Hall
Main Street
Swords
County Dublin
5th October 2015
Re: Health Infrastructure Development comprising National Paediatric
Hospital, Innovation Centre and Family Accommodation Unit at St
James' Hospital Campus, Satellite Centres at Tallaght & Connolly
Hospitals and Construction Compound at Davitt Road, Dublin.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Enclosed for your information are two copies of submissions received by the Board in relation to the above mentioned
proposed development.
Please ensure that a copy of each submission is available for public inspection at the offices of the planning authority.
If you have any queries in relation to this matter please contact the undersigned officer of the Board. Please quote the
above mentioned An Bord Pleamila reference number in any correspondence or telephone contact with the Board.
Yours faithfully,

ran Somers
x cutive Officer
Direct Line:O 1-8737107

Encis.
ADHOC/PA0043/02

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Tcil till I M!\K MHMl Tel

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Gl~o ,\ititiil IK'JO 175 175 LoCal!

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C.-1

Mmll>onm~h

Street
!Juhlin I

Our Ref: 29N.PA0043

P.A.Reg.Ref:

An Bord Pleanala

Your Ref:

Chief Executive Officer

South Dublin County Council
County Hall
Tallaght
Dublin 24
5th October 2015
Re: Health Infrastructure Development comprising National Paediatric
Hospital, Innovation Centre and Family Accommodation Unit at St
James' Hospital Campus, Satellite Centres at Tallaght & Connolly
Hospitals and Construction Compound at Davitt Road, Dublin.
Dear Sir/Madam,
Enclosed for your infonnation are two copies of submissions received by the Board in relation to the above mentioned
proposed development.
Please ensure that a copy of each submission is available for public inspection at the offices of the planning authority.
If you have any queries in relation to this matter please contact the undersigned officer of the Board. Please quote the
above mentioned An Bord Pleamila reference number in any correspondence or telephone contact with the Board.
Yours faithfully,

ran Somers
cutive Officer
Direct Line:Ol-8737107
Encls.
ADHOCIPA0043/02

~ I
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Glan \ttunl IK1JO ~75 17~ LnCall

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TIMEJ b:?J
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FROM ~

PL

An Bord Pleanala
64 Marlborough Street
Dublin 1
1.10.15
To whom it concerns,
I wish to make an observation in relation to the development of The National
Paediatric Hospital at StJames's. Reference No: PL 29N.PA0043
As a founder member of The Dublin Swift Conservation Group I wish to
express my concern with regard to the existing swift colonies at StJames's.
StJames's Hospital is probably one of the last strongholds for swifts within the
Dublin 8 area.
Swifts diligently arrive back from Africa in April each year to nest in the tall
buildings within the campus. I have observed swifts swooping and screaming
low around the roof tops and in the courtyards of hospitals 1, 2 & 4. ( low
flying and screaming is an indication that they are nesting in the buildings.)
I have also observed swifts entering their nests sites under the roof tiles in
Hospital1.
Swifts are the quintessential city bird; they arrive in our towns and cities in
April each year and treat us to the most amazing aeronautical displays as the
twist, twirl and scream in our Summer skies from dawn until dusk. How boring
would our Summer's be without these amazing birds who spend their entire
lifetime on the wing and only ever land in order to breed.
Swifts are loyal to their nest sites and return to the same nesting place each
year.
But sadly our swift populations are in serious decline, this is mainly due to the
modernization of our towns and cities. Modern building practices and
renovations of older buildings block entrances to traditional nesting sites and
render them swift proof.
There is great concern for the future of swifts in our cities and conservation
projects are now taking place right across Europe in an effort to protect these
fascinating birds. Indeed Swifts have been written in to Dublin City Councils
Biodiversity Plan.

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LiRDAIED_

The Good News

- fROtlt _ _-,l

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The good news is that swifts are easy and cheap to protect!
With a little imagination and GOOD WILL traditional nest places can be
preserved or reinstated and most excitingly new nest sites can be created.
I have made submissions to the development team at StJames's regarding the
installation of Swift Bricks within the new build. This is very simple and will
ensure that swifts have a place to nest for the entire lifetime of the building. I
have also suggested that they install spy cameras within the bricks. This will
give potential to the live streaming of activity within the nest and would prove
to be educational and therapeutic to the children especially long stay patients.

Swifts and Hygiene

Swifts leave no mess whatsoever. Unlike swallows, swifts carry the contents of
their nests away and deposit it miles from their nest sites. Swifts also have an
enormous role to play in the area of public health as each bird consumes
millions of potentially harmful insects each day.
Swifts do no damage to buildings, they only add to the esthetics.

Why should we protect the swift colonies at StJames's?

Firstly we all have a responsibility to protect the natural world.
Swifts are and have been part of the heritage of StJames's and the
surrounding area for hundreds of years.
Swifts bring interest and drama to our Summer Skies!
Swifts are the sound of Summer!
Swifts are gregarious and playful birds, Swifts are fascinating, educational
and fun for children to watch.
Scientists say swifts will be gone from our cities in fifteen years unless we
act fast!
A project like this would be of major interest to ornithologists,
conservationists, and no doubt to other children's hospitals in the future.

To conclude, I would like to make the following recommendations on behalf

of The Dublin Swift Conservation Group:

Any repair works to the roof of the older buildings should be carried
out in consultation with The Dublin Swift Conservation Group.
No works should be carried out during the nesting season -from April
to August (Swift nests are protected by law during this period.)
Swift bricks should be installed within the new build along with built
in cameras for live streaming I educational and therapeutic purposes.

I would be much obliged if you would give serious consideration to this

observation.

Yours sincerely

~ Q~ ~9_'C_Q
_ ___

Helen Burke
Dublin Swift Conservation Group, 483 South Circular Road Rialto Dublin 8

PS. I am including some photographs of a swift conservation project at

St Michaels school in Ballyfermot. The possibilities are endless ....

AN BORD PLEANALA
BV_ _ _-t

TIME

02 OCT 2015

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SWIFT NOT TO BE CONFUSED WITH:

SINCE YOU WERE BORN

-+

HOUSE MARTIN

Both have large areas of pale colour- Swifts do not.

Unlike Swallows and Martins, Swifts do not perch on wires.
2

WE ARE SWIFTS WE AREIN TROUBlE

~...-

There are far fewer Swifts visiting us.

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN1ROU8LE

WHY SHOULD
~01:JCARE?

They eat, drink, preen, sleep

and mate while flying

They
are amazing

Their scientific name is

Apus apus, that means
'no foot no foot'

are mysterious
are very very fast
eat millions of insects.
to

Actually, they have small feet

with sharp claws which they
only use at their nest site.

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WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBlE

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

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Swifts have been around a long time;

one of their ancestors, who died 49 million years ago,
was found in Germany.

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

. . ......

They eat flying insects like flies,

mosquitoes, midges, and greenflies
as well as airborne spiders.

They come to Europe each

summer arriving in this
country at the end of April/
beginning of May
They make their way back
to Africa in August
A round trip of 1400 miles!

- - Route taken
- - - Assumed route
Ringed Swift recoveries

.!
~

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"

WE ARESWIFTS WE ARE IN lllOUBlE

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN lROUBLE

'

~~

A'screaming party'
in Westport.
They are one of tile very beSt fliers

You will hear anq see '$creaming

parties' around the houses.

1i

10

WE AR SWIFTS WEAR IN TIIOUBLE

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They have very rapid wing-beats:

8 wing-beats per second, followed
Dj7gliding and zooming about ~t
very'high speed, .usually
screaming as they go
~

FAMILY LIFE
At night they sleep as high
as 3,000 metres
They approach their nests
at more than 40 miles per
hour and come to a stop
without slowing down
They do not normally land
on the ground because it
is difficult for them to
take off.

g
)

Swifts usually stay with

the same partners for
their whole lives
They can live for at
least 21 years!
Mostly, their nests are
in spaces under roofs
and nooks and crannies
in old buildings.

12

WE ARE SWlffi WE All IN TROUBlE

'

.....

1.3

 They catch bits of

stuff from the air,
like feathers, leaves,
petals and pieces of
paper, then stick
them together to
make a cosy nest for
laying their eggs
They lay white eggs, usually 2 or 3
Both partners take it in turns to sit on the eggs to keep
them warm until they hatch

When the chicks hatch, they are blind and have

no feathers

!
j

Many times a day, the male and female bring the

chicks balls of 300-500 insects, collected in a big
pouch under the beak
The chicks open their
eyes about 6 days after
hatching
Their feathers grow and
they get quite fat.

The eggs hatch after about 18 days.

1,1

14

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBlE

~~

WE All SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

1.5

Swift with.p()uch ruuof>insects~

Swift chicks in their nest

Chicks have an area of white around their beaks so the
parents can see them in the dark nests.

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16

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBlE

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17

The chicks stop eating and lose weight

before they leave the nest- you can't fly' if
you are too fat!

After they leave the nest, they keep flying for 2-3
years until they are ready to find a partner, make a
nest and raise a family

They do push-ups on their wings and tails to

make them strong enough for flying

The year before they breed, they check out a

possible nest site by flying up to it and having a
look. They are called 'bangers' because they bang
against the nest site

Once they can hold1a push-up for 10 seconds

and they weigh about 45 grams, they are
ready to fly away
They are 6-8 weeks old when they leave.

'I

WEARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBlE

~~

Young birds can be 1OOs of miles south only

2 days after leaving their nests.

WE ARE SWIFTS "WE ARE INlROUBl

l.

SO BOW CAN WE ALL HELP SWIFTS

Leave existing nest sites undisturbed
When repairing buildings, make sure new access
holes match exactly the location of the old ones
When providing new nest sites make internal nest
spaces, as they last longer
If you can't make internal spaces, put up nest boxes
Tell Swih Conservation Ireland where you see
Swifts nesting.
Email: swiftconservationireland@gmail.com
WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

'

....

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TYPES OF ARTIFICIAL NESTS

LIVESTREAM OF GMIT SWIFTS

The best type of nest box is one

that is built into the structure of
a building

GMIT Mayo Green Campus

Committee installed 12 nest boxes
for Swifts in 2012. You can visit the
college to see them at any time and
you can follow the 'livestream' from
these nest boxes between May
and August.

IBSTOCK BRICK

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SOFFIT HOLES

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Find link on:

swiftconservationireland.ie
or
facebook.com/greencampus.
gmitmayocampus

__,

WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBlE

____.

SCHWEGLER BOX

- " GMIT . ,
_,;MAYO ~
~GREEN CAMPUS

f.

WE ARE SWiffi WE ARE IN TROUBLE

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23

Amnonn has, since then, devoted his life to Swift conservation.

The people of Israel are now very aware of the need to help Swifts.
They hold an annual welcoming ceremony at the Wailing Wall in
Jerusalem to mark the start of the breeding season.

AMNONN'S STORY
Amnonn worked in a
smelly, noisy, motorbike
garage in Israel. He went
paragliding in his spare
time to be free, in peace and
in the fresh air. He was so good
that he reached the final of a
national competition.

,.. 6 f!

Everyone was losing height.

Amnonn saw some Swifts and joined

them. There were Swifts all around him,
spirling upwards in a thermal. He went up
too; he fell in love with them.
He won the competition!
24

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WE ARE SWIFTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

WE ARE SWim -WE ARE IN TROUBLE

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SOME USEFUL WEBSITES

MY SWIFT NOTES

http//swiftconservationirela nd.blogspot.ie
http//actionsforswifts.blogspot.ie
www.swift-conservation.org
www.saveourswifts.co.uk
www.commonswift.org
www.concernforswifts.com
www.bwi.ie
www.iwt.ie
www.irishwildlifematters.ie
:J6

WE ARE SWirn WE ARE INlOOUBLE

WE ARE S\\~FTS WE ARE IN TROUBLE

.~

21

~~

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Du'M1n Swift (~ation

' ' - GMIT

.,

_,MAYO ~
......... GREEN CAMPUS

Swlloc-....... 1'"'-1

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Tel: 086 815 0968

Elnilil: helendixiebu~il.com

CGmll!.holll. -~ .... AIQ

E~ cam.ntjcml.OCOI-

Produced by Lynda Huxley w1th '.aI Agenda 2 fund.ng

and based on rnoteual hom Action for Swifts
Contact: www.swiftcomervauonreland@gmail.com
Design: www.ffdesgngb.C<.uk
Cover photo: ' Thomas 1 u11en
Print: www.kpscolourpnnt.com
Q GMIT Mayo Green Campus 2014

WEARE SWIFTS WEARE IN TROUBLE