by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 21, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Residents in one of Kensington’s most exclusive streets are in a bizarre row with town hall chiefs over a 60ft bird net installed to prevent them from being plagued by pigeons.
A retired judge and former MI6 officer are among neighbours who have already spent more than £10,000 battling Kensington and Chelsea Council’s demand that they rip down the protective netting.
The birds moved into De Vere Gardens when two hotels were demolished in 2010 to make way for the £600 million One Kensington Gardens development opposite Kensington Palace.
Nearby celebrity bolthole The Baglioni Hotel hooked up a net over its patio to protect its glitzy clientele, who have included Lindsay Lohan, George Clooney, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
The Baglioni hotel also installed anti-pigeon nets
But when one neighbour complained the net cage strung up at the rear of two six-storey Victorian terraces in the sidestreet created a “sense of enclosure”, the town hall stepped in and ordered its removal.
Officers said the net – which stopped the pigeons fouling windows and patios – needed planning permission and launched enforcement action.
Planning row: The 60ft high anti-pigeon netting Nigel Howard
Furious neighbours in the conservation road, where three-bed flats fetch £3million, dubbed the move “pigeongate” and mounted a legal challenge to the Planning Inspectorate.
After losing the appeal they have now lodged a last-ditch application to keep the nets in place.
Dr Daniel Sister, a leading anti-ageing specialist, warned that pigeon poo could lead to people catching potentially “life-threatening” psittacosis – known as Parrot Fever.
He said: “Until the temporary pigeon netting was installed in 2013, our rear patio was fouled daily by pigeons roosting on the ledges, window sills and eaves.
The netting in the alley behind the hotel Nigel Howard
“Since the netting was installed, there has been genuine and obvious improvement.
“I had the experience of the health risks associated with pigeon droppings, having been diagnosed and treated successfully in Paris with psittacosis.
“This can be a life-threatening infection and I do not want to be exposed to this risk nor my wife nor pet dog nor anyone in the building.”
Retired immigration judge and City lawyer Christopher Wright, 78, the chairman of the residents’ association, said: “That the council has taken this action the way it has is an outrage. The obligation to maintain the conservation area should be trumped by the desire of the residents to be protected from this nuisance.”
Fowl mess: Droppings left by the birds
Paul Wheeler, 82, a former MI6 specialist Middle East officer who later worked as a screenwriter on Minder and the Darling Buds of May, said the birds had been “terrorising” the building.
He said: “My wife Alex and I came home one day and the entire kitchen window was covered in poo. We said enough is enough and all decided to put up the nets which made an enormous difference and got rid of the problem. We had no idea you needed planning permission.
“We considered employing a hawk to get rid of the pigeons and we were quoted £10,000 a year. That’s about what we have paid on legal fees now fighting this council decision.”
Pigeon spikes didn’t deter the birds
The town hall’s planning department has recommended the planning committee takes the unusual step of refusing to rule on the application at its meeting on Tuesday.
A report states: “The planning merits of this development were already considered when the enforcement notice was served and the development was found to be unacceptable.
“The enclosure is of considerable scale, has no architectural merit and is causing harm to views of the buildings by reason of its height, bulk and width across the rear elevation.
Neighbour Susan Griggs said the whole row was “ridiculous” Nigel Howard
“There are more discreet and equally effective methods of bird control available including, for example spikes and wires which may be fixed on ledges and other areas where birds tend to perch or roost.”
If the planning application is not approved the residents will have until March 15 to remove the netting.
Neighbour Susan Griggs, 81, a former picture editor of the Daily Telegraph, said: “The whole thing has just been ridiculous.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 20, 2016 | 4-S Gel Bird repellent, Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services
Local councils have been accused of using public space protection orders (PSPOs) to introduce ludicrous new laws, the breaking of which could result in on-the-spot fines of up to £100. Want to see a few examples? Of course you do. Hillingdon council has been particularly busy:
- People are banned from gathering in groups of two or more in parts of Hayes town centre, Pinkwell, Kingshill Avenue, Kingsash Drive, and Cedars and Grainges car parks, unless waiting for a bus or moving to or from a parked vehicle
- People aren’t allowed to feed pigeons in parks if they could cause a nuisance
- People mustn’t use remote controlled model vehicles and aircraft in parks if they could cause a nuisance
- People aren’t allowed to leaving their engine running in the Heathrow villages areas,when they’ve already parked their car
Better still, Havering is clamping down on parents dropping their kids off at school and Hackney tried (but failed) to enforce a ban on rough sleepers.
It all sounds very bitty and over-the-top, but Simon Blackburn, the chairman of the Local Government Association’s Safer and Stronger Communities Board, disagrees, saying, “Clearly in the majority of cases, no action will be taken against people because they will be behaving in an innocent way. What these powers do is give councils and police the ability to enforce against people who are causing anti-social behaviour.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 19, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Bird Netting, Pigeon Patrol's Services
An exclusive street in Kensington plagued by pigeon droppings has got into trouble with its local council after residents took matters into their own hands and erected a 60ft ‘poo-catcher’ net.
The neighbours, who live in properties which fetch up to £3 million, have already spent more than £10,000 battling Kensington and Chelsea Council after they demanded that they rip down the protective netting put up to prevent their windows and doors being blighted by birds.
The feathery pests moved into De Vere Gardens when two hotels were demolished in 2010 to make way for the £600 million One Kensington Gardens development opposite Kensington Palace.
Dr Daniel Sister, a leading anti-ageing specialist, told the Evening Standard: “Until the temporary pigeon netting was installed in 2013, our rear patio was fouled daily by pigeons roosting on the ledges, window sills and eaves.
“Since the netting was installed, there has been genuine and obvious improvement.
“I had the experience of the health risks associated with pigeon droppings, having been diagnosed and treated successfully in Paris with psittacosis.
“This can be a life-threatening infection and I do not want to be exposed to this risk nor my wife nor pet dog nor anyone in the building.”
Nearby etablishment The Baglioni Hotel hooked up a net over its patio to protect its clientele, who have included Lindsay Lohan, George Clooney, Mariah Carey, Beyoncé and Jay-Z.
But when one neighbour complained the net cage strung up at the rear of two six-storey Victorian terraces in the side street created a “sense of enclosure”, the town hall stepped in and ordered its removal.
Officers said the net – which stopped the pigeons fouling windows and patios – needed planning permission and launched enforcement action.
Proceedings are now underway and if the planning application is not approved, residents will have until March 15 to remove the netting.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 18, 2016 | Animal Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeon Spikes
A HOUSING provider has bowed to pressure from local residents and agreed to take down an unpopular fence that is said to have converted a playground into a prison yard.
Local residents were at a loss to explain why The Guinness Partnership erected a three metre high fence, complete with sharp spikes, around a playground beside Mennaye Gardens and Forth Scol estate in Illogan.
The work started around three weeks ago and was completed at the end of last week.
It incited an angry response from local residents who said that it was dragging the name of the area through the mud.
Many of today’s greenest buildings are also some of the most beautifully designed
One of the residents, Sue Williams, said: “It looks like a prison exercise yard and nearly everyone I have spoken to has said what an eyesore it is and that it is not giving our estate a good name.
“Even the workmen erecting it said they think it is horrible and they wouldn’t send their children to this park.
“We want it back to how it was before with the nice ornate fencing that wasn’t damaged and was adequate enough.”
Samantha Eddy lives in a house that looks over the park.
“We back onto the park and I can see the new fence clearly from my house,” she said.
“It is an unsightly mess and there is no apparent reason why it has been built. We used to have problems with people drinking in the park but that was a long time ago now.”
Trina Knowles added: “It is intimidating and I don’t think my grandson wants to go into the park anymore.
“Apparently it is to stop rubbish and drinking in there but neither or those things have been a problem for a long time now.”
Shirley Paull went onto describe the structure as “disgusting” and said that the spikes on top are dangerous and could have disastrous consequences should children try and climb the fence.
After being contacted by the West Briton The Guinness Partnership has agreed to remove the fence.
A spokesperson for The Guinness Partnership said: “We erected the fence to address reports of anti-social behaviour that had been raised by our customers during estate inspections. However we completely accept the concerns that have been raised and have made arrangements for it to be taken down and stored for future use.
“We apologise for any upset this has caused, and we will continue to work with our customers over the next few weeks to listen to their views and find an alternative solution.”
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
by Pigeon Patrol | Jul 17, 2016 | Bird Deterrent Products, Pigeon Patrol's Services, Pigeons in the News
WILMINGTON — A proposal to change the city’s zoning rules to prohibit keeping pigeons will advance to the city council.
On Wednesday, the city’s planning commission voted to recommend approval of the proposal.
The amendment would establish a mechanism to grandfather existing pigeon-keepers, who would be required to register with the city within six months of a rule change. Only two pigeon-keepers are known to the city.
The city council will have the final say.
About Pigeon Patrol:
Pigeon Patrol Products & Services is the leading manufacturer and distributor of bird deterrent (control) products in Canada. Pigeon Patrol products have solved pest bird problems in industrial, commercial, and residential settings since 2000, by using safe and humane bird deterrents with only bird and animal friendly solutions. At Pigeon Patrol, we manufacture and offer a variety of bird deterrents, ranging from Ultra-flex Bird Spikes with UV protection, Bird Netting, 4-S Gel and the best Ultrasonic and audible sound devices on the market today.
Voted Best Canadian wholesaler for Bird Deterrent products four years in a row.
Contact Info: 1- 877– 4– NO-BIRD (www.pigeonpatrol.ca)
