Bat Surveys for Proposed Development in Birmingham
If you’re planning a development or renovation project in or around Birmingham, there’s a good chance you’ll need a bat survey. As a European protected species, bats must be considered during the planning process, especially where old buildings, trees, or habitats may be affected.
Birmingham, in the West Midlands, is more bat-friendly than many people realise. Thanks to its network of parks, canals, rivers and mature woodlands, combined with historic architecture, Birmingham provides an ideal mix of habitat to support roosting bats. Opportunities for bat roosts exist in man made structures such as loft spaces, slate roofs, roof voids and gable ends, behind cladding or hanging tiles or in tree cavities. Sites such as Sutton Park, Cannon Hill Park, and the Bournville area are all known to support roosting bats, along with nearby rural areas.
Bats are fully protected by law and developers have a legal obligation to avoid harming bats. The ecological constraints protecting bats mean that detailed assessments are needed to satisfy a local planning authority that a proposed development will not disturb bats.
Bat species found in the Birmingham area include the Common Pipistrelle which roosts in crevices in modern homes and apartment buildings; the Soprano Pipistrelle, often associated with waterways like the River Rea and canals; the Brown Long-eared Bat which favours older properties with large loft spaces; Noctule and Leisler’s Bats, tree-dwelling species often seen at dusk and Daubenton’s Bat which can be spotted skimming the surface of canals and lakes at Edgbaston Reservoir or Moseley Bog.
Local Bat Groups and Conservation Societies
Birmingham is home to several wildlife organisations that play a vital role in bat conservation including the Birmingham & Black Country Bat Group which monitors local bat populations, organising bat surveys, and raising awareness, and the Wildlife Trust for Birmingham and the Black Country which supports habitat protection and biodiversity, including bats, across the West Midlands. These groups provide valuable local insight and often contribute to regional initiatives to preserve bat habitat and advise on ecological and environmental management. Other relevant organisations include The Bat Conservation Trust which protects bats’ interests nationwide and Natural England.
When are Bat Surveys Required?
A preliminary ecological appraisal (pea survey) or ecological impact assessment may trigger the requirement for bat emergence surveys, or a site may have obvious signs of hibernating bats or roosting bats. A bat survey is often required as part of a planning application, particularly if your proposed project involves demolition or renovation of old or unused buildings, re roofing works, loft conversions, extensions, barn conversions, tree felling, development near parks, woodlands, rivers or canals.
As they are a European protected species, local authorities such as Birmingham City Council are obligated to consider bats under EU and UK legislation including the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Failing to provide the correct detailed assessments for bats – and other protected species – can result in delays to development projects or even legal penalties.
Bat Surveys: the Process
A Preliminary Roost Assessment is the first step, and should be carried out at the earliest opportunity. It involves a visual inspection of the building or trees on a proposed development site. Licensed ecological consultants will assess the structure for bat roosting features (gaps, crevices, roof spaces), evidence of bat activity (droppings, staining, feeding remains) and local habitat suitability.
If the bat surveyor finds no evidence of bats and the likelihood of their presence is low, this may be all that’s required. But if preliminary roost assessments identify potential for bat occupancy, further surveys will be needed, starting with a Bat Emergence and Re-entry Survey (BERS). It’s important to note that these bat surveys cannot be carried out year round, they may only record bat activity during the active season between May and September, typically through two or more dusk and dawn re entry surveys.
An ecology team will monitor entry and exit points for bats leaving or returning to roosts, and may use bat detectors and thermal imaging to identify species, bat populations and behaviour patterns. If required, dna analysis can be carried out on individual bats by ecological consultants to obtain further information about the bats present on a development site.
Data from the dusk emergence and dawn re entry surveys is compiled by a professional ecologist into a comprehensive bat report suitable for submission with your application for planning consent. It includes a site description and habitat analysis, survey methodology and results, interpretation of findings, recommendations and any appropriate mitigation measures. The bat report is essential to demonstrate compliance and avoid planning objections or delays to your scheme being granted planning permission.
Helping You Get Planning Permission
Birmingham City Council expects ecology issues, including bats, to be properly addressed before granting planning permission. A clear and thorough bat survey report helps local planning authority officers make decisions with confidence and ensures you comply with best practice guidelines laid down by statutory nature conservation organisations.
If bat presence is found, don’t worry – our consultants have extensive experience and can help you create bat mitigation plans if your planning project will affect bats, and if required, apply for a Bat Mitigation Class Licence from Natural England to keep your project legally compliant and on track through the planning process.
Engage an experienced ecological consultancy
It’s important to hire fully licensed, experienced bat ecologists who are familiar with Birmingham City Council planning policies and have supported developers, homeowners, architects and planners across Birmingham with protected species surveys that support successful planning outcomes over many years. An ecological consultancy offering extensive survey services will be able to provide expert advice and reports to satisfy a local planning authority and ensure that your scheme will have no adverse impacts on bats.
Request a quote for a bat survey
Our team of licensed ecologists can help with bat surveys, or any further surveys that may be required, such as protected species surveys for great crested newts or badgers, or reports needed for ecology and environmental management schemes.
We have ecologists based in Birmingham who can assess your site, and according to good practice guidelines, provide bat surveys to support your development plans and help you meet planning requirements.
If you think your development might require a bat survey in Birmingham, get in touch now. For a free quote, fill in our online quote form, speak to one of our team over the phone or contact us for more information. If you decide to accept our quote, we can arrange a convenient date for a bat survey on your site.