Council criticised over removal of gull nests

The removal of kittiwake nests was branded "environmental vandalism" by a councillor

Concerns have been raised that a £30,000 council project to remove the nests of endangered kittiwakes from Scarborough Spa Bridge may have led to an increase in gull nesting in the town centre.

A Freedom of Information request revealed that the former North Yorkshire County Council spent £30,083 to remove the gulls in December 2022.

However, locals have complained about the increased noise and droppings from gulls in the town centre.

The newly created unitary authority, North Yorkshire Council, said it would be developing a strategy to address the impact of gulls.

North Yorkshire Council said it would develop a strategy to address the impact of gulls

Councillor Michelle Donohue-Moncrieff, who branded the initial removal of kittiwake nests as "environmental vandalism", criticised the council's decision and linked the removal with increased gull nesting in the town centre.

She said: "When I was the cabinet member responsible for gull mitigation measures, the advice from our ecology officer was that any measures to prevent gulls from nesting on a building would inevitably result in their moving onto other nearby buildings.

"Any attempt to prevent nests on Spa Bridge would lead to a significant number of kittiwakes trying to nest in the town centre.

"I find it staggering that the then-North Yorkshire County Council took the decision to engage in this act of environmental vandalism against a species on the red list, despite being advised by Natural England that this would move the problem onto other properties in Scarborough."

North Yorkshire Council’s executive member for highways and transport, Councillor Keane Duncan, said: "We cleared nests from the Spa Bridge earlier this year at a time when birds were not present and treated the location to prevent their return.

"This was done in response to concerns raised about the damage nesting and roosting birds were causing to the listed bridge structure. This treatment is safe, well-established and has previously been used at other sites in Scarborough.

"Before commencing the work we commissioned an independent habitat regulations assessment and consulted Natural England. The conclusion was that the action would not be detrimental to the wider habitat of the birds, who would find alternative sites along the coast.

"We have been monitoring impacts since the work and we will consider options for future mitigation if required. We will continue working to address issues caused by gulls along the North Yorkshire coast in a way that is friendly to nature and the environment."

While North Yorkshire Council has said it will be developing a strategy to address the impact of gulls, councillors for the area have raised doubts about how much can be done.

In an email seen by the Local Democracy Reporting Service, one councillor told a member of the public that they would look into concerns but admitted: “We can do very little."