Bat Survey, Wales: Protected Species Surveys
What is a Bat Survey?
As bats are a protected species under the Countryside Act 1981, a bat survey may be required during the planning process for a development as it is illegal to recklessly disturb, injure or kill bats or roosting bats.
Bat activity surveys are undertaken for development sites to inform a planning permission/ planning application and determine presence of bats, and whether the development has potential to impact bats. The local planning authority will usually let you know if a bat survey is required.
A bat survey will detect the presence or likely absence of bats in a particular area so that plans can be made to proceed with a development. If bats are found to be present on a site, mitigation strategys must be implemented before any development work can begin.
There are many species of bat which are likely to be found in Wales. These include, common pipistrelle bat, Noctule bat, soprano pipistrelle bat and Daubentons’ bats
Bat Survey, Wales: Types of Survey
Preliminary Roost Assessment: This is the first step in the bat surveying process which involves an ecologist carrying out a site visit. They will carry out an internal and external inspection of the building looking for evidence of bats, including insect feeding remains and bat droppings.
Nocturnal Bat Surveys: This involves surveyors using bat detectors to record and analyse bat calls. They will be either bat emergence surveys (when bats are leaving their roost to their foraging habitat) or dawn re-entry surveys (the end of the night out when all the bats return back to their bat roosts.
How Can Collington Winter Assist?
Collington Winter Environmental is an ecological consultancy with extensive experience in undertaking bat and hibernating bat survey work on all types of development projects. Our Ecology Director, Olivia Collington, holds a Natural England Bat licence/ protected species licence, and has worked with European protected species across the UK.
Please get in touch with our Ecology Director Olivia Collington (Olivia.collington@collingtonwinter.co.uk) for more information on protected species surveys, such as bat and great crested newt surveys. We also provide ecological appraisal and assessment services.
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