25 CLEANING
The Seagull solution
brought about by the seagulls was the high fouling levels, which was a constant problem for the centre manager. Cleaning and maintenance budgets were increasing every year, rising to over £1,000 a month during the peak nesting season from April to September. Ultimately, the shopping centre was experiencing reduced
T
footfall and a growing number of customer complaints. With up to a thousand gulls in the car park, the problem had become potentially hazardous, with the risk of slipping on bird droppings. Birds can spread illnesses such as Ornithosis and Salmonella and there is also the risk of secondary insect infestations in nesting areas. The maintenance team at White Rose Centre had attempted to manage the problem with a bio-acoustic bird dispersal system, something the gulls become immune to very quickly. “As a business, we are committed to the safety and well-being of
our customers and staff,” says White Rose centre manager, Richard Henderson. “Clearly the gull problem was getting in the way of this policy. We had tried other bird control methods with limited success so when Rentokil suggested the Larus Bird Wire system, we were thrilled. To be honest, the brand itself spoke volumes to us in terms of their ability to deal with the problem.” With bird problems rising at a national level, Rentokil has recently expanded its expert Bird Services team throughout the UK. With bird control, Rentokil’s approach is to fully understand the species, the location’s environment and how this impacts on the birds’ behaviour patterns. One of the issues at the White Rose Centre was the size of the car park as well as its close proximity to the main promenade. Weather was also a significant factor – being on the north Wales coast, Rhyl is often subject to inclement weather. Another supplier had recommended a netting installation but the Rentokil team led by Stuart McLeod felt this wouldn’t work given the large surface area. The Larus Gull Wire system is an effective rooftop deterrent that
offers an immediate and effective solution to high level infestation areas. The stainless steel wire rope and brackets fitted at close intervals make it impossible for gulls to land on the premises and are suited to larger, non-domestic roof areas where bird proofing can be difficult. A further benefit of the Larus system is that it doesn’t interfere
with the aesthetics of the shopping centre, plus litter doesn’t build up in the wires as it would do with a netting system, so it is easier and cheaper to maintain. The risk with netting is that it could have compromised the centre’s reputation if birds became entangled in the wires and would have required the additional expense of cutting wires to free birds and resulting repairs. With Larus, the wires are easily visible to gulls.
The results of installing the Larus gull wire system in White Rose
Centre’s car park were immediate. As McLeod explains: “The Larus system has instant impact. A project of this scale can be complex to deliver effectively and it’s important to get it right. However, through our discussions with the White Rose Centre team we instantly understood that this is part of a wider problem – we’re aware the gulls are a major concern for other local businesses and residents. This is great starting point for the long term and we’re delighted that shoppers have returned to the centre as a result.”
Find out more: For more information, please contact the author:
mia.hunt@
jldmedia.com
www.shopping-centre.co.uk July 2011 SHOPPING CENTRE
he sheltered space provided an ideal habitat for the birds, which used the top level as an overnight roosting site. For the centre’s staff and customers, the main concern
Rentokil was recently appointed by the White Rose Centre in Rhyl, Denbighshire, to help it manage a rapidly escalating seagull problem in its car park.
Photo: Konstantinos Dafalias
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