To bee, or not to bee (brick)?

Bee Bricks - concrete bricks in which solitary bees can nest and hibernate - became mandatory for certain new builds in Brighton & Hove in April 2020*.

The Duchy of Cornwall (formerly managed by King Charles and recently inherited by Prince William) took the lead, spending a sizeable £55,000 on 2,000 bricks on a new development in Newquay, Cornwall.

I know what you’re thinking: "Whatever next!" Or maybe: "What a great idea!".

There are many things which split the population 50/50 - Brexit? Marmite? - while some people couldn't care less. We’re all entitled to an opinion.

A recent Guardian article covered many of the pros and cons, with explanations from experts. The issue, well put by a beekeeper, is this: “There’s a well-known saying in the beekeeping world that if you ask 100 different beekeepers a question, then you get 101 different answers". I’m sure the same applies in the construction industry, to some extent.

The fact is: bees are in decline, and according to Einstein, "If the bee disappears from the surface of the Earth, man would have no more than four years left to live." I personally wouldn't question anything Einstein said.

A third of the world's food production depends on bees and other pollinators, yet approximately one in ten bee species in Europe is facing extinction.

It’s highly unlikely that anyone would disagree that bees proliferating is a bad thing. But are Bee Bricks the right way to go about it?

Well, here’s a Surveyor's view:

PROS

The Bee Brick reduces the need to plant bee-friendly plants on a development now or in the future.
Installed during construction and being relatively maintenance-free, it solves the problem of trying to enforce a maintenance regime for bee-friendly plants via a lease.
Managing agents, leaseholders and freeholders don’t need to know how to maintain Bee Bricks. If any issues arise, they simply refer to an information sheet.
Depending on the socio-economic standing of a development, the cost of maintaining bee-friendly plants would likely be axed from a service charge budget eventually, whereas a Bee Brick planning policy forces the developer to incorporate the bricks into the very fabric of a building.
The Bee Brick provides a long-term habitat, unlike timber equivalents which can rot over time.

CONS

Bee Bricks are not a tried or tested construction element. They contain holes, which are prone to water accumulation, making them vulnerable to freeze / thaw action during colder months, which could result in the bricks flaking.
Being next to softer, rubber bricks could affect surrounding bricks that are made from a much harder material like concrete, leading to cracks in nearby pointing and brickwork.
The average concrete brick currently costs £0.60, compared to a Bee Brick which costs approx. £27.50. In the Duchy of Cornwall scenario, the cost of using Bee Bricks over regular bricks resulted in a whopping 4,130% increase in brick costs. You could argue that this is a small price to pay in terms of the PR, ecology and wellbeing benefits but such intangible benefits are hard to prove.
Fearing the unknown, people could be put off by Bee Bricks when purchasing a property, even though the bricks can be replaced, assuming the cost of scaffolding isn’t prohibitive.
Installing Bee Bricks could be perceived as 'greenwashing' by developers and the council.
As for Health & Safety, who's responsible if someone has an anaphylactic reaction from a bee sting due to a nearby Bee Brick? Do insurers and lenders understand and accept the responsibility of such installations?

There are many other benefits, and just as many notes of caution, but no definitive answers as yet. Only time will tell whether Bee Bricks are the ideal solution to our waning bee population.

For now, Brighton & Hove Council and The Duchy of Cornwall seem prepared to take the risk on behalf of the bees. As a Surveyor, I think they should be commended for trying.

What do you think?

NB: For any geeks like me, the relevant planning conditions can be found in the Policy CP10 of the Brighton & Hove City Plan Part One and Supplementary Planning Document SPD11 Nature Conservation and Development