ONE hundred starling nesting boxes are to be installed across the city.

Donated by local artist Lou McCurdy, the boxes are to be installed on council-owned buildings and open spaces across Brighton and Hove.

Five will be placed in the Royal Pavilion garden in an attempt to invite starlings to nest in the heart of the city.

Over the last two decades, the starling population has dropped locally and nationally by up to 90 per cent, according to Brighton and Hove City Council.

The nesting boxes were crafted as part of the Undercurrents exhibition held at the Phoenix Art Space earlier in the year.

Ms McCurdy said: “I’m delighted that starlings are being recognised as part of Brighton’s cultural heritage at the Royal Pavilion Garden and that my nest boxes will bring further awareness of nature that inhabits our amazing city.”

Council leader Phélim Mac Cafferty said: “These 100 nesting boxes are a labour of love. We’re so grateful for this gift and indeed the way people across the city have rallied together to talk about the city’s biodiversity as we find homes for starlings.

“Starling ‘murmurations’ around the piers and over the sea inspire so many of us in the winter months, capturing the wonder and vibrancy of nature in the city. But the dazzling sight of starlings in flight masks their plummeting numbers – they’re on what’s known as the ‘red list’ which means this is of international concern.

“So this familiar sight for our city is a stark reminder of our city’s precarious wildlife and why we must do everything we can to protect our city’s biodiversity.”

Rob Boyle, the Royal Pavilion and Museum Trust’s (RPMT) head gardener and environmental lead, welcomed the boxes being donated and found suitable locations for them in the Royal Pavilion garden, part of the Royal Pavilion and Brighton Museum.

Chief executive officer of the RPMT Hedley Swain said: “Although it is in the centre of a busy urban city, the Royal Pavilion garden is a haven for wildlife and we are proud to do everything we can to sustain the many birds, animals and insects in the garden which are maintained under organic guidelines, using natural planting techniques and organic compost, with the use of chemicals prohibited.”

The other nesting boxes are being put on school buildings and in open spaces run by communities such as the Benfield Valley Project.