Bat Survey Birkenhead: Protected Species

Bat surveys are imperative for every project development to address ecological concerns within a planning application for bats which may be disturbed during project construction. A survey will identify the presence of bats within buildings, trees, and structures on and surrounding a project site.

Local planning authorities will usually notify you if a bat survey is needed during the planning process and have published guidelines to follow when performing any ecological surveys. The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations was introduced in 2017 to protect species on all sites across the UK, especially those at risk of negative impact from a nearby development.

All bat species, their chosen breeding sites, and roost sites are protected under The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. This declares that if bats reside on a site, it is illegal to deliberately harm, injure or obstruct any habitat access for bats. Therefore, bat mitigation and compensation measures are crucial when seeking a planning permission grant so as to avoid delays in the project going ahead.

Preliminary Roost Assessment: A Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) should be conducted initially to determine whether bats are likely to be roosting in a specific building or structure that may sit on the proposed development site.

This assessment is an important first step in the process of assessing the potential impact of project development on bat species on the site and in the area. Our consultants will excavate the internal areas of a site, followed by an external inspection, and record any evidence of roosting bats, including insect-feeding remains and bat droppings.

Bat emergence and re-entry surveys: If necessary, after a Preliminary roost survey, a bat emergence survey or a re-entry survey will typically be performed to monitor further bat activity, such as monitoring entry and exit points to provide information on the location, species, and population of the bats.

These surveys are carried out on multiple occasions over a period of time, day and night, to collect a substantial range of data and encourage accurate results. The consultants we provide use bat protective technology such as thermal imaging cameras and bat detectors to monitor a full range of bat activity without causing unnecessary disturbance to the bats.

Nocturnal bat surveys: A nocturnal bat survey is an ecological survey conducted at night to observe and record bat species’ activity and behaviour. These surveys are essential for monitoring bat populations, identifying species, and assessing their habitats. Nocturnal bat surveys are often carried out as all UK bats are nocturnal and tend to only produce echolocation sounds in the dark, meaning the best indication of their behaviour and activity can be recorded during the night.

Collington Winter is an environmental and ecology consultancy. Our team hold Natural England bat licences and European Protected Species licenses, working with licenced bat surveyors and bat conservation trusts to protect endangered species across the UK that may be impacted by new project developments.

Please contact our Managing Director, Olivia Collington (info@collingtonwinter.co.uk) for more information on our ecological services and Birkenhead bat survey work, including bat and Great Crested newt surveys. We also provide preliminary ecological appraisal (PEA) and assessment services.