Stoke on Trent’s industrial centre and nearby green areas host a variety of wildlife
Nestled between the Churnet Valley and the Staffordshire Moorlands, Stoke on Trent is a city rich in industrial legacy, canal networks, and urban green spaces. Historic bottle kilns and terraced housing pepper the cityscape, while parks like Sneyd Park, Central Forest Park, and woodland corridors along the Trent & Mersey Canal offer excellent roosting and foraging habitats for bats.
For anyone seeking bat surveys in Stoke on Trent to support planning applications, understanding this unique ecological tapestry is essential to balancing development and conservation.
Bats in Stoke on Trent often roost in deceptively simple places, roof voids, cavity walls of older buildings, barns, bridges, trees with crevices, or even behind peeling tiles. These structures, while unassuming, offer essential shelter and the stable temperatures that roosting bats rely on.
Corridors of greenery, gardens, rivers, and canals across the city provide vital foraging routes. Because of this, even modest development projects like loft conversions or tree removals may require a professional bat survey in Stoke on Trent to avoid unintentionally harming bat populations during development.
Legal Protection for UK Bats
All bat species and their roosts are safeguarded under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. You cannot legally disturb, injure, kill, or otherwise impact bats, or damage their roosts, even if they appear inactive.
Stoke on Trent City Council, like other local planning authorities, may require documentation from bat surveys when considering applications for proposed works that could affect bat habitats.
Where bats or their roosts may be affected, a European Protected Species Licence (EPSL) must be obtained from Natural England before proceeding: a process that requires careful survey work and mitigation strategies, highlighting the importance of working with licensed ecologists from the outset.
Bat Conservation in Staffordshire and Beyond
Local wildlife trusts and national organisations like the Bat Conservation Trust and Staffordshire Bat Group lead public awareness and monitoring initiatives when it comes to supporting bat conservation across Staffordshire. Regions including Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire have recorded several bat species, reflecting the varied urban-rural environment surrounding Stoke.
In the wider North West and Midlands region, species commonly recorded include common pipistrelle, soprano pipistrelle, Daubenton’s bat, noctule, and brown long-eared bat. The prevalence of pipistrelles is especially notable, as these adaptable bats roost in a wide range of urban and suburban structures.
Brown long-eared bats, which frequently roost in buildings and tree holes, are also found across England and are likely present here. Other species such as Natterer’s bat may also occur in woodland and canal-side habitats.
When is a Bat Survey in Stoke on Trent required?
A bat survey typically becomes necessary when planning applications for proposed developments involve buildings, trees, or structures that may host roosting bats, or when a site lies adjacent to key green corridors.
The need for bat surveys may be indicated by a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, which involves a consultant carrying out a desk study followed by a site visit to inspect for signs of protected species.
The visual inspection will assess trees and ecological features on or adjacent to the proposed development site to look for suitable habitat for bats and other species.
As well as indicating the need for a bat survey, this initial survey may indicate the need for further surveys for protected species, such as surveys for great crested newts or badgers before a planning application will be granted approval.
The first stage bat survey is the Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA), involving an ecological consultant making an internal and external examination of buildings and checking trees for signs of bat roosts.
The inspection will look for signs such as bat droppings, dead bats, and grease marks around potential access points on buildings.
If the presence of bats or potential bat occupation is identified, further Bat Emergence and Re-Entry Surveys (BERS) follow.
Bat emergence and re entry surveys, also known as dusk emergence and dawn re entry surveys, are seasonally constrained and must be conducted between the summer months of May and September.
These surveys must be carried out over a series of visits and often involve several ecologists being stationed at strategic points on a development site to observe bat activity.
Bat surveyors monitor potential entry and exit points for bats on buildings and trees on a development site at dusk and dawn using specialist equipment like bat detectors and thermal cameras to record bat activity and population numbers. Bat detectors record echolocation calls to help in species identification.
Producing a Bat Survey Report
Once bat surveys are complete, a detailed report is compiled. It outlines methodology, findings, and includes site photos and maps. If bats are absent and roosting potential is low, the report supports planning consent.
When the presence of bats is confirmed, the report outlines mitigation strategies, and where necessary, recommends applying for an EPSL. This evidence-based approach is critical for navigating local planning regulations and securing planning permission for development projects.
Mitigation and Licensing Support
Where bat roosts exist, mitigation might include installing bat boxes, timing works outside the breeding season, or adding bat-friendly features to new buildings on development projects.
If unavoidable disruption occurs, our team will manage the EPSL application, producing method statements, habitat enhancements, and liaising with Natural England to ensure full regulatory compliance and minimise delays.
Expert Bat Surveys to support Planning Applications
Our ecology consultancy offers comprehensive bat surveys across Stoke on Trent and the wider UK. Whether for development projects involving historic building refurbishment, housing development, or tree works, our licensed ecologists provide timely, cost-effective surveys tailored to local ecology and planning application requirements.
We are well-versed in working with local authorities across Staffordshire and are knowledgeable about priority conservation efforts in the county.
Our full range of surveys includes preliminary ecological appraisals, preliminary roost assessments, bat emergence and re entry surveys. We provide further legally protected species surveys such as surveys for great crested newts, ecology surveys and habitat surveys.
Obtain a Free Bat Survey Quote
If your project may affect bats, simply contact our team for a free quote for a bat survey in Stoke on Trent. Send over your site details and proposal, and we’ll advise if a survey is required and provide a quote.
Once confirmed, we’ll schedule your site visit and guide you through the survey process from the first step to securing planning permission.
Working with experienced ecologists ensures that your bat surveys and any other protected species surveys proceed in a timely manner, enabling you to secure planning consent for development projects and respect the ecological heritage of Stoke on Trent.