Bat Survey Milton Keynes: Protected Species Surveys

A bat survey, Milton Keynes, will be used during the planning permission process to address bat-related concerns that may arise during the application process. Undertaking a bat survey can help to determine whether bats are present in buildings, structures, or trees on a particular development site.

Important legislation, such as The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, provides legal protection to all species of bats and wild birds. This protection extends to their breeding and roosting sites, regardless of where they may be. Should any local planning authorities find that this protection has been breached, or that ecological surveys have been neglected, they are likely to intervene or even prevent a project from receiving planning permission.

Across England and Wales, it is illegal to cause deliberate harm, kill, or injure bats, or obstruct access to their roosts or habitats. Therefore, risk prevention strategies are essential for ensuring that bats are protected as much as possible. This way, developers are compliant in preventing a project that could negatively impact bats.

Preliminary Roost Assessment: A Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) is typically the first assessment to undertake to determine whether bats are likely to be present on a development site. This step can also provide an understanding of the scale of impact a project development may have on the bat species residing on-site and in the area.

Bat emergence and re-entry surveys: If a PRA determines that roosting bats could be present on a site, a bat emergence survey or a re-entry survey will typically be performed to monitor further bat activity in and around the bat roosts. This includes monitoring entry and exit points to provide a more thorough insight on behaviour, as well as collecting evidence of bats, such as bat droppings.

Our experienced bat ecology consultants use specialist bat detectors to monitor bat activity in a non-intrusive manner over multiple site visits, minimising any disturbance to the bats.

Nocturnal bat surveys: This type of survey observes and records bat species’ activity and behaviour during the night, as bat activity is predominantly nocturnal. In summary, these surveys are beneficial for monitoring bat populations, identifying species, and assessing their habitats.

At Collington Winter Environmental, we provide expert services to meet the ecological needs of local authorities and the client. Our ecological consultants are licensed by Natural England and hold European Protected Species licenses. We build partnerships with bat conservation trusts and project developers nationwide to keep endangered species at the forefront of our efforts, all whilst supporting an efficient planning application process.

Our Managing Director, Olivia Collington (info@collingtonwinter.co.uk), is happy to provide more information on our wide range of protected species survey work, including bat surveys, water vole surveys and great crested newt surveys. We also provide preliminary ecological appraisal (PEA) and Biodiversity Net Gain services.