PROPERTY MANAGEMENT Go guano, go
Pigeon droppings are a persistent pain in the proverbial for many residents of apartment blocks, including those who live in Anchor Reach, Rochester, who, naturally, expect their managing agents to sort out the issue. Caxtons report that they
have now eradicated the unpleasant problem, thanks to guerrilla tactics by a local pest- control company. After years of persistent
problems, the Block Management Division at Caxtons, managers of the site since it was built in 1990, brought in Shield Pest Control who came up with a somewhat alternative solution. Instead of installing permanent deterrents such as
NEW HOMES Cautious reception for Government housing plans
Housing Minister Grant Shapps announced Government plans to release enough land from
Whitehall’s grip to build 100,000 new homes by 2015. It sounds a great idea but the Minister’s grand plan received a cautious response from property professionals who welcome the plan but hope that it actually happens. The plan is that, by this autumn,
Government departments will publish plans to release thousands of acres of previously-developed land to housebuilders, so they can “get on and build the homes that the country needs”. Grant Shapps (below) said, “As one of the country’s biggest landlords, the Government has a critical role to play in making sites available for developers so we can get the
homes this country needs built.” Liz Peace, Chief Executive of the
BPF, said, “As one of the biggest holders of land in the country it’s right that the Government does what it to help alleviate the housing crisis. “However, Government must
give consideration to who has the resources available to get on and build these homes, particularly
while banks are still nervous about lending.”
Mark Clare (below), Chief
Executive of Barratt Developments PLC, said, “This is a big step in the right direction. The rapid release of
publicly owned
land has the potential to be an effective catalyst for increasing the supply of land for new homes in this country during the next few years. Barratt will be looking to further develop public sector partnerships.” Dr. Neil Bentley (below), CBI Deputy Director-General, said, “We’re facing a housing crisis, and this initiative will go some way
towards making
more land available but while it is a step in the right direction, Government should also work with local councils to loosen their grip on local authority-owned land.” James McAuley, Business Services Director, LSL Land and New Homes said, “This is very positive news for the industry and one which will no doubt help to fill a substantial gap in the new homes land market.”
PROPERTYdrum JULY 2011 7
netting and unsightly spikes or shooting the airborne offenders, which is always a contentious issue, Shield unveiled their secret weapons – an array of birds of prey. Now, a Harris Hawk, a falcon and a Bengal Eagle Owl are among the birds that have been flying around the site – with startling results. Two months before, Shield removed 19 nests, at their last visit, they found only two. And where flocks of pigeons previously roamed, now there are very few to be seen. Shields’ MD Daniel Steward explained, “The hawks are a completely natural way of dealing with the problem and merely act as a deterrent to the pigeons. They don’t kill them or harm them – they just
frighten them away by their very presence on site. “The whole aim is to break the nesting cycle of the birds, as the pigeons that are born there will continue to live there – and so it goes on. By removing the nests and bringing in the hawks, the pigeons will gradually find new places to live.” Tony Martin, Senior Property
‘Pigeons really, really don’t like Eagle Owls and Harris Hawks.’
Manager with Caxtons’ Block Management, based in Gravesend, said, “We had been having problems with pigeons for quite a while as the site is right next to the river where the pigeons have been a common feature for years. Shield Services come highly
recommended. They hold a Royal Warrant for pest control services to HM The Queen.
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