Parliament's resident Peregrine falcons will have an 'unavoidable and major impact' on £26million replacement of House of Lords roof

By MARTIN BECKFORD, POLICY EDITOR Published: 01:49, 18 July 2026 | Updated: 01:49, 18 July 2026 Bats and newts have long been blamed by ministers for holding up housebuilding, but now the problem of wildlife getting in the way of major projects has come home to roost in Westminster itself. Peregrine falcons that nest in Parliament risk adding to the costs and complexity of a £26million, three-year plan to replace the cast iron roof above the House of Lords chamber, it can be revealed. The authorities have warned that the rare birds of prey living in the Victoria Tower will have an 'unavoidable and major impact on the programme' and a 'significant potential effect on the proposed cost'. At a recent meeting about the renovations, peers 'expressed concern about the scale of the provisional sum set aside for the falcons'. 'Questions were raised about the feasibility and cost of relocating the birds, drawing comparisons with other heritage sites that had faced similar challenges,' the Services Committee said. Staff have asked for advice from lawyers as well as the country's wildlife quango on how to deal with the delicate issue of working around the falcons, which bred chicks earlier this year. As well as having sharp talons and powerful beaks, the birds are a protected species - making it a crime to disturb them or their nests. Natural England has advised that Parliament should apply for a licence to monitor for disturbance to the birds, led by an expert who knows the site. One of the Peregrine falcons that took up residence in the Houses of Parliament in 2008 A spokesman for the quango said: 'We have worked closely with the Parliamentary Estates Team to find a practical solution which safeguards the peregrine falcons and enables the planned works to proceed, without any additional cost to the public purse. 'Natural England's role as a licencing body is vital for ensuring much-loved protected species like peregrine falcons are protected whilst important works are not impacted.' And the House of Lords said: 'We are planning shortly to contract for work to repair the House of Lords Chamber Roof, which is in urgent need of significant upkeep. A pair of peregrine falcons have a nesting site near to the roof. 'Peregrine falcons are legally protected and it is a criminal offence to intentionally or recklessly kill, injure or take a peregrine. It is also an offence to intentionally or recklessly disturb adults or their young, on or near an 'active nest'. 'Parliament understands its obligations under legislation and is working closely and productively with Natural England to ensure that any disruption to the falcons is minimised, while also minimising the cost of doing so.' Even if the falcons do not add to the costs, peers themselves may do. The authorities have concluded it is 'impossible' for the works to be carried out while the House of Lords is sitting, so have decided it will be done 'at night during an eight-hour shift that commences when the House rises and carries through to the next morning'. But Parliament heard on Thursday that the Lords is refusing to finish on the dot of 10.30pm every night, adding £1m to the project costs. Tory MP Steve Barclay, who sits on the Finance Committee, told the Commons: 'We had a proposal this week on that where an extra £1m of cost was being incurred just because the Lords wouldn't agree to finish at 10.30. 'And when I put that to members of the Lords, they were completely unaware of this figure.' He pointed out that the roof project was separate to the massive Restoration and Renewal programme for the whole of Parliament, which could cost more than £50billion and take up to 84 years. 'It is ridiculous that there is so little transparency and debate. It is going to be a national scandal,' he warned.  A Lords spokesman said: 'The essential work to repair the roof of the House of Lords cannot take place while the House is sitting as it is loud and intrusive. Our plans for this work assume the House will rise before 10.30 every day during the work. However, this is not guaranteed as it conducts its vital role of scrutinising legislation and holding the government to account. 'Unlike the House of Commons, the Lords do not have guillotine motions so it is impossible to guarantee a set finish time for business each day. We will aim to minimise any costs arising from late sittings of the House.'