Tyne Bridge restoration will be ‘biggest ever challenge’ for Newcastle’s famous kittiwake colony

A long-awaited restoration of the Tyne Bridge will pose the biggest ever risk to Newcastle’s famous kittiwake colony, a conservation group has warned.

City council bosses are planning a huge refurbishment of the dilapidated bridge, with hopes that the government will soon approve £40m of funding to restore the North East icon to its former glory.

But, as local authority officials make preparations for what would be the crossing’s first major maintenance in two decades, they have been urged to take action to protect the hundreds of sea birds that nest there.

The Tyne is home to the world’s furthest inland breeding colony of kittiwakes and more than half of that population, more than 1,000 pairs, reside on the bridge and its towers.

Volunteer group Kittiwakes upon the Tyne is calling for a new artificial nesting site to be built to house kittiwakes that become displaced by the restoration works, which will take at least two years to complete, as was done on the Gateshead side of the river when the Baltic Flour Mill was being redeveloped.

Paul Buskin founded the group in 2018 as an ‘independent voice’ to advocate for the kittiwakes’ protection and says the disturbance caused by the Tyne Bridge works will be the “biggest challenge they’ve ever faced”.

The 49-year-old added: “When the Baltic was being converted, Gateshead Council built the kittiwake tower. There were about 200 pairs of kittiwakes nesting on the Baltic at the time, but there are over 1,000 on the Tyne Bridge – more than half of their population on the Tyne.

“There has to be some new structure for them, some kind of new accommodation built. There is going to be huge disturbance, it is inevitable.

“The bridge has not been repaired for such a long time and it is going to take a long time to complete the works, they are going to find more things wrong with it once they start.”

There are also fears about “new anti-bird netting” mentioned in a planning application made for the Tyne Bridge works by Newcastle City Council recently, after numerous incidents over recent years in which kittiwakes have become trapped and died in the existing nets.

Mr Buskin believes that Tyneside’s renowned kittiwake flock will become “even more critical” for the species over the coming years, as extreme weather events create new threats for more exposed coastal populations.

A council spokesperson said that the authority would aim to “protect Newcastle’s kittiwake colony as far as we can” during the bridge’s maintenance.

They added: “Works in the areas they nest would be planned to take place around the breeding season and we would not be looking at netting those areas.

“As part of the longer-term maintenance, we are looking at what measures we can put in place to prevent birds from getting into the towers and walkways to minimise the mess that is created by birds on the bridge. It causes damage to the steelwork on the bridge itself and is also unhygienic and costly to clean up from footpaths and premises below.

“Discussions regarding appropriate measures have already taken place with our ecology officers and local wildlife organisations, including representatives from the Kittiwake Partnership, RSPB and the Wildlife Trust. The plans haven’t been finalised and we will continue to work with these groups as we move forward to agree bird management measures and plans for ongoing monitoring and maintenance.”