Are Bat's Protected

[cammoman]

The 106 year old chapel next to me closed down last,falling number's etc.
Today i got a letter saying it's going to be turned into flat's,there knocking it down.
It's a 21 day planning order letter,blar blar blar.
To cut to case the chapel as a colony of bat's,i often watch them fly on an early evening.
So can the council do this ? i thought bat's were protected ?
so what can i do to save the bat's
help

please

 

[bambodoggy]

I'm not sure what you can do if it's the council you're up against but I do know bats are very well protected.....as a tree surgeon if I come across a tree with bats in then I cannot cut it down.

Why not check first with English Nature or your local enviroment agency....and in any case definately contact these people: http://www.bats.org.uk/

Good luck,

Bam.

 

[bambodoggy]

I think this page, second question down might be wat you're looking for:

http://www.bats.org.uk/helpline/helpline_threats.asp#roostorhabitatunderthreat

This is a bit from it:

If the roost is in a structure that is not a dwelling, such as a church or a barn or a tree, then the developers will need to obtain a Habitats Regulations license from the government department in order to carry out any work. This will be the Department of the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs in England, the Scottish Executive in Scotland and the National Assembly for Wales in Wales, or the Department of Environment and Heritage (Northern Ireland). The Habitats Regulations licence must be applied for by someone with experience of bats. In this situation you should write to the planning office to alert them to the presence of a bat roost, and to advise them that a Habitats Regulations licence is needed before any work goes ahead. They should then ensure the developer proceeds with the proposal only if a Habitats Regulations licence is obtained.

Cheers,

Bam.

 

[Snufkin]

I'm pretty sure bats are protected and it is illegal to destroy/tamper with their roosting sites. A mate of mine is developing an old barn and as part of the planning application a bat survey had to be carried out. It might be worth a call to your local council and maybe the RSPCA just to find out what the score is.

 

[fred gordon]

I agree that the bats are protected and that the Council/Developer will be breaking the Law if they disturb them. The fines are quite hefty, £1000 per bat + if I recall correctly. I will be surprised if your Council don't know this and I would certainly be contacting English Nature if they are the appropriate authority. It's Scottish Natural Heritage here in Scotland. Try and find out if you have a local bat group and get them involved. Also a call to your local paper might get a reaction. Bats have Friends! Good luck and let us know how you get on.

 

[bambodoggy]

IThe fines are quite hefty, £1000 per bat + if I recall correctly.

The fine has gone up....it's £5000 per bat according to the website I found below

 

[jdlenton]

There should be something like a country side service run by your local council they would be my first point of call about this kind of issue as they are the people that advise the planning committee
If you don't get any luck that way you could try contacting English Nature on 01635 268881 or The Bat Conservation Trust on 0207 627 2628 they will be able to give you all the information you require.
I know my area also has a very active bat group (I used to be in it but after my wife had our first baby i couldn't put the after dark hours in). If there is a local bat group and they don't know about this roost then they will be very glad to hear from you, if they already know about it then you bet your bottom dollar the planning people at the council will be making life very difficult indeed for the developers.

James

 

[JonnyP]

I think in situations like this, the council would contact the bat conservation people to re-house the bats somewhere else. I know that you can do nothing with bats without there say so...............Jon

 

[demographic]

We had a bat survey done before we were allowed to demolish a few buildings at work, we were not allowed to knock them down untill they had come out of hibernation.
The bat survey people then put batboxes up in a few trees and that was about it.

On the odd occasion if I am not dead busy at work I have been known to knock up a batbox and bung it into a tree anyway
Passes the time and seems more productive than spending my time dossing around.

Building a batbox
And another
Even more
While you are on with making them it's not rocket science to knock up a birdbox also.