Hawks to be deployed to tackle pigeons at new £500million London shopping centre

Developers have said hawks will be used to scare away pigeons when the new Elephant and Castle shopping center opens.

The scheme will use ‘regular hawking’ to control birds near the £500 million project, according to planning documents.

The original shopping center was demolished in 2021 and replaced with a new one called The Elephant, consisting of 40 to 50 stores, 485 homes, a cinema and a university campus, and is expected to open later this year.

In planning documents submitted last month, developer Get Living said it had agreed to put more bird netting under the bridge on New Kent Road.

He added that ‘bird roosting prevention works’ will be carried out to prevent the bridge from being invaded by pigeons.

The presence of hawks may encourage pigeons to relocate and is a non-harmful method of bird control.

Birds had invaded the ruined old brutalist mound before it was eventually demolished.

Opened in 1965 and built on an area heavily bombed during World War II, the former shopping mall was praised for its design and assertiveness and was home to a Latin American community.

Birds of prey will be used to scare away pigeons at the £500 million new development of the Elephant and Castle shopping centre, whose previous version (pictured) was demolished in 2021.

In its final years, the glass-roofed shopping center had become run-down and overrun with pigeons.

But the concrete development, which features a glass-roofed concourse that can be pulled back to give an open-air feel in warm weather, has been branded a costly mistake by critics.

The pigeons were a sign of decline as nests took over the complex.

Developers hope the falconry measures listed in the latest planning documents will prevent a similar problem from occurring at the new shopping centre.

Earlier this year, falconry was used to deter pigeons at Chelmsford station in Essex after train operator Greater Anglia said the birds were producing ‘dangerous and corrosive droppings’ that could damage the building.

The operator said the Harris’s hawk was ‘particularly effective’ for its flock hunting and strong bond with its trainer, but was also used at Chelmsford for its ability to deter pigeons – a natural predator – simply by being visible.

Falcons also appeared at Waterloo, Euston and Cambridge stations; Wimbledon also has its own bird of prey to draw the pigeons away from the game.

Harris’s falcon Rufus, bred in Brigstock, Northamptonshire, has been responsible for keeping the grounds at the All England Club clean for 18 years.

The unusual business came about when Rufus’ handler Donna Davis noticed pigeons were disrupting play during the 1999 men’s final between Pete Sampras and Andre Agassi.

He contacted the south-west London club and offered his services to his previous hawk, Hamish.