Bat Survey Birmingham: Protected Species

Within the project development industry, a bat survey or assessment is a key step when onboarding a new development as a commitment to support bat mitigation and habitat preservation.

Should a local planning authority discover that these arrangements have not taken place and are not listed within a planning application, they have the legal authority to intervene with the project development, delay the planning process, or even prevent the project from progressing. This authority is supported by legislation such as The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

If a survey has recorded the presence of bats, project developers have a duty of care to prevent the bats from suffering from injury, death, and any disruption to their habitat as a result of any work completed on a development site. As bats are now considered at risk of extinction, with the aim of mitigating further damage to the bat population, bat surveys and assessments alongside other protected species surveys are often crucial for new developments to be granted planning permission.

The main types of bat surveys in the UK include:

Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA): The first type of survey is the Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA), also known as a bat scoping survey. This involves a desk study, reviewing local bat records and databases, combined with a site visit to inspect buildings, trees, or other structures for signs of bats, such as droppings, feeding remains, and potential access points. The purpose of this survey is to determine whether further, more detailed assessments are necessary.

Bat Emergence and Dawn Re-entry surveys:  If evidence suggests that bats may be present, an Emergence and Re-entry Survey is carried out. These surveys are conducted at dusk and dawn, using bat detectors to record echolocation calls. They confirm the presence of bats, identify species, and locate roosting sites.

Nocturnal bat surveys: A nocturnal bat survey is a type of ecological survey conducted during at night to observe and record the behaviour patterns of bat species. As bat activity increases during this time, nighttime surveys efficiently monitor local bat populations, identify species, and assess their habitats. A nocturnal bat survey is highly beneficial to the conservation of habitats, ecological assessments, and the determination of the nature of the impact on the surrounding environment of development projects.

Hibernation surveys: During the winter months, hibernation surveys are conducted to locate bats in hibernation sites such as caves, mines, tunnels, and tree cavities. Surveyors inspect these locations for torpid bats, with the surveys taking place between November and March.

For Good Practice Guidance for Bats, visit the Chartered Institute of Ecology website.

After a bat survey has been conducted, using the results which have been provided, a report detailing when the survey was carried out, what was found, how a surveyor completed the survey, and a variety of recommendations will be presented to the project developers. This mitigation strategy will ensure that your project will avoid any unnecessary harm or displacement of bats whilst your site is being developed. If this is not possible, the plan will include provisions to create replacement bat habitats or roosts, protecting the bat’s residence.

The recommendations to be expected will differ from project to project depending on the nature of the development. For example, a large development site like a new housing estate may have more requirements than a private barn conversion. Following bat surveys, common recommendations may include:

• Timing of works – As many roosts are seasonal and appear in the warmer months, there is typically a period where work can go ahead without impacting the bats.
• Restoration or Creation of Roosts – Roosts should be left undisturbed; if this is unavoidable, project developers should recreate bat habitats mimicking natural bat roost features such as location, access points, material, and temperature of the original roosting sites. Some larger or more eco-conscious projects will integrate bat-friendly infrastructure when building to support roosting bats.
• Long-term habitat management and maintenance – Surveys will provide data on how bats may use the site, whether for roosting, foraging, hibernating, or breeding. The Area should be consistently maintained to preserve bat habitats. Planting insect-inviting plants can provide food for endangered species, including bats.

Any recommendations received from a bat survey should be dutifully implemented in any development process, and the details should be listed in any planning proposals to increase the likelihood that the application will receive a positive response from local planning authorities.

Whether or not the proposed development causes a disturbance to bats, Natural Planning Policy recommends incorporating enhancement features into any buildings and surrounding urban environment to support and encourage bats to use the space. Compensation to offset any harm caused to the bats should be avoided and used as a last resort for development projects.

Our ecological consultants will assess what is best for your project development and provide you with targeted recommendations to best suit your site development proposal plan.

Collington Winter Environmental is a team of ecological consultants that can offer protected species assessment services to all kinds of project developments within and outside the bat season. We have extensive experience in providing bat ecologist services, including preliminary root assessments, dusk emergence and dawn re-entry surveys and nocturnal bat surveys. Our consultants hold European Protected Species licences in addition to Mitigation Licences from Natural England and perform informative and reliable project assessments each season.

Get in touch with our Ecology Director, Olivia Collington (Olivia.collington@collingtonwinter.co.uk), for more information on other habitat services we offer, such as different species surveys for Great Crested Newts and Badgers. We also provide Preliminary ecological appraisal (PEA) services and landscape architecture services to support your project.