Construction on Glasgow 2014 Athletes' Village delayed after kestrels found nesting

By Tom Degun

July 3 - Construction on the Athletes' Village for the Glasgow 2014 Commonwealth Games has been delayed after kestrels were found nesting in a deserted building that was due to be demolished.

The building was set to be brought down in preparation for the Athletes' Village but the bulldozer drivers were told to stop when the birds of prey were seen nesting at the site.

Kestrels are protected under the 1981 Wildlife and Countryside Act and it is an offence to "take or damage an active nest or its contents".

The construction work for the Athletes' Village is being carried out by Glasgow City Council and a spokesperson said the matter is currently being looked at.

"The demolition began last week at the Baltic Street end and will work its way north," the spokesperson told insidethegames.

"The kestrels were discovered on the afternoon of Tuesday, June 26, during preparatory work nearer the Sunnybank Street end of the blocks to be demolished and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB) was called in.

"The RSPB will make a decision on the relocation of the birds over the next few weeks.

"The demolition work will not affect the kestrels at this stage as they are reasonably distant from the initial activity and will be relocated before the demolition work comes near."

Although a minor delay has been caused by the situation, there will be no serious problems as the workers have been reassigned to another part of the vast site to continue their construction until the kestrels are relocated.


The site consists of hundreds of homes in Dalmarnock in the East End of Glasgow that were compulsorily purchased to make room for the Athletes' Village.

Preparatory land remediation work commenced on the 35-hectare site in August 2009 and the Athletes' Village will be completed in January 2014 when the Games time overlay will be started.

During the Games, the Athletes' Village will house around 6,500 athletes and team officials, and will feature shops, a recreation area, a dining hall, medical facilities and other amenities for guests.

Following the Games, it will be further developed to become a residential area comprising of around 1,400 homes (pictured above).

Contact the writer of this story at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.


Related stories
March 2012: Glasgow 2014 face "key risks" in Commonwealth Games preparations, warns Audit Scotland
November 2009: Glasgow 2014 venues behind schedule says watchdog