Des Res for Bexhill birds

And they're not the most obvious tenants - but Bexhill's swifts, sparrows and bats have nevertheless been well catered for at the Egerton Place development in Upper Sea Road.

A number of boxes have been built in or attached high up the side of the buildings to provide shelter for birds and bats in need of a home to call their own, which may have been affected by the demolition of the Edwardian house and garden where John Logie Baird once lived.

There are two new blocks, Baird Court and Helensborough Court, with 15 social housing units at the rear.

The development has been the work of Laing Homes which was alerted to the needs of local wildlife by a member of the public concerned about the future of swifts.

Project Manager Mike Kitchingside said: "We don't just have swift boxes - we've got bat boxes too, and a sparrow terrace, which is a big box where three or four can nest next to one another. And we have one other for miscallaneous birds, a nesting box.

"Obviously environmental matters are of high importance to all developers and something planners insist on as well. But in regard to the actual swift boxes, a member of the public approached us and discussed with us the issue that when old buildings are refurbished swifts have nowhere to nest.

"We contacted head office about the request to put in boxes for swifts, and because of his intervention the swifts have a home to go to. We put in a quite big wooden boxes for them, about a foot across, and the sparrow one is even bigger.

"In all developments nowadays it is unusual for there not to be something to do as regards flora and fauna. You are always going to come across something in most instances - in this case it was birds, but it might be newts and badgers and so on. And I think it's a good thing to do as well."