The work carried out between 2008 - 2011 to the Savoy Hotel in London was an epic refurbishment project for both the main contractors and ourselves. Our task was to come up with a solution to prevent the established pigeon infestation from settling in the area. Working in conjunction with the site architects we designed and implemented a plan of action using established and discreet methods that would not look out of place on a Grade I listed property.

Due to the size of the property the work was carried out in stages by working on one elevation at a time using scaffolding and access equipment until the 28 elevations were complete. Two rows of bird wire (spring tensioned wire) were installed to all window ledges to prevent pigeons from perching and using the ledges as a lookout. In areas of medium activity we covered the entire ledges with a multi-ply row of wires, up to 8 in total. Whilst bird wire is not always the strongest of bird control prevention methods our installation at The Savoy has successfully prevented the pigeons from returning.

In more high pressure locations like the central courtyard we installed netting systems to prevent all access against roosting and nesting activity. The central net measuring 50m x 50m was installed and supported using extra strength corner fixings at every 0.5m interval rather than the standard 1m spacing. Whilst installing this free-standing net we had to consider additional weight gains from both weather and in particular snow and the net remained undamaged in the severe weather of 2010!

The refurbishment of the main entrance to The Savoy and Savoy Theatre were integral to the rebuild and the first impression to most customers and therefore it was essential for this area to look good. The previous installation of plastic spikes looked unsightly due to a buildup of dust and dirt that had discoloured the clear shading of the spikes. The benefit of having previously had the spikes fitted in this area was that it had relocated any active pigeons thus downgrading what would normally be a high risk area to a medium risk. Therefore, we decided on the application of bird wire as this had the best long-term prospect of a bird free area with an aesthetically pleasing effect. Other methods including electrical bird track and bird gel were considered but dismissed due to expense and lack of term term effectivness.