Bat Surveys, how they work

You have been planning your new home, extension or building works for an age, finally you have your planning application in with the local planning authority (LPA) and just before the application is assessed the LPA throws a spanner in the works.

Yes you heard that right you have to have a bat or ecology survey, what?

Bats, otters, dormouse, and great crested newts amongst others, all have legal protection. Some of these species just happen to like to live with us, which means that building works will often have an effect on their habitats, albeit that the habitat happens to be your home, garden or land.

So in order to establish whether any species are present the LPA has a duty to find out if they will be affected by your proposed works, this takes the form of a survey.

As most of the time when doing works to houses it will be bats that are affected the following example concentrates on this survey process –

Stage 1 Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA)

This is also known as a scoping bat survey, day-time inspection, phase 1 bat survey or diurnal survey.

It entails an internal and external inspection of the building, tree or structure. There are three things that are checked for –

·         The bats themselves.

·         Evidence that bats are present e.g. droppings, feeding remains or other evidence.

·         The features that bats are known to use. Examples include hung tile (tiles that are hung against the brick wall of the building), missing mortar, wall tops (or plates) and lofts.

If any of these three things are present follow on surveys are required in order to establish species (it could be one or more), population and their use of the building.

Stage 2 Emergence and pre-dawn surveys

Also known as roost characterization surveys or presence/likely absence surveys.

These are time restricted between May to September, when bats are fully active and using their summer roost locations. They can’t be done outside of this time for planning purposes.

The point of these is to be able to design mitigation and compensation for the bats in the project. Therefore ensuing that sufficient information is provided for the LPA to discharge its duty.

Need to know more? Or do you need a bat survey? Client here.