South East England Ecological Assets
Across the South East region are the nine counties of Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, East Sussex, Hampshire, the Isle of Wight, Kent, Oxfordshire, Surrey and West Sussex. Popular towns and cities are situated within these counties, with the largest by population including Southampton, Portsmouth, Brighton and Hove, Reading, Milton Keynes, Slough, Oxford, High Wycombe and Maidstone.
A combination of traditional, undeveloped rural areas and modern, developed urban locations enables South East England to stage new planning projects without tarnishing the quality of the environment. In terms of wildlife species inhabiting the South East, the mix of natural and man-made infrastructure provides opportunities to create viable roosts, particularly in the case of bat species present in the region.
Protected Bat Species in the South East
Numerous factors including the standard of the environment, the climate and available roosting opportunities can form the basis for species of bat present in a certain region. Many of the common bat species appear throughout the country. Looking more specifically at South East England, however, identified species listed by county include:
Berkshire
- Barbastelle bat
- Bechstein’s bat
- Brandt’s bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Whiskered bat
Buckinghamshire
- Brandt’s bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Noctule bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Whiskered bat
East Sussex
- Brandt’s bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Natterer’s bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Whiskered bat
Hampshire
- Alcathoe bat
- Barbastelle bat
- Bechstein’s bat
- Brandt’s bat
- Brown long-eared bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Greater horseshoe bat
- Grey long-eared bat
- Leisler’s bat
- Lesser horseshoe bat
- Natterer’s bat
- Noctule bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Serotine bat
- Whiskered bat
The Isle of Wight
- Barbastelle bat
- Bechstein’s bat
- Brandt’s bat
- Brown long-eared bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Greater horseshoe bat
- Grey long-eared bat
- Leisler’s bat
- Natterer’s bat
- Noctule bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Serotine bat
- Whiskered bat
Kent
- Brown long-eared bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Serotine bat
Oxfordshire
- Barbastelle bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Natterer’s bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Serotine bat
Surrey
- Barbastelle bat
- Bechstein’s bat
- Brown long-eared bat
- Greater horseshoe bat
- Lesser horseshoe bat
- Pipistrelle bat
West Sussex
- Brown long-eared bat
- Daubenton’s bat
- Noctule bat
- Pipistrelle bat
- Serotine bat
Disturbance of bats in any form will be judged as a breach of UK legislation, leading to potential penalties ranging from hefty fines to periods of imprisonment. Whenever a developer discovers a bat or evidence that could indicate the bat occupancy, it would be advisable to contact an ecological consultancy about planning a bat survey on the development site or hazard endangering both bats and your planning application.
Assessing a Site for Bats
An ecologist would usually begin the survey process by undertaking a Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) on the site. It may have followed a broader Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA), or presented as the natural next step after the developer or another stakeholder in the planning process discovered evidence of bats. Either way, PRAs (or bat scoping surveys) will be phase 1 in the bat survey process, can be undertaken all year round and enable a licensed ecological consultant to inspect all forms of infrastructure on the site for indications of bat occupancy.
Features that could indicate a bat presence on the site include bat carcasses, bat droppings, the feeding remains of prey, or parts of the building that could act as suitable bat roosts. If the ecological surveyor comes to the conclusion that bats aren’t roosting on the site, no further bat surveys would be needed. Alternatively, the ecologist will find evidence that bats are roosting on the site, leading them to suggest the need for a Bat Emergence and Re-Entry Survey (BERS).
Otherwise known as bat activity surveys, entry and re-entry surveys or dusk and dawn surveys, multiple ecological consultants will attend the site over several visits in the active season between the optimal time of May and September to stage bat emergence surveys. All potential entry and exit points will be monitored between dusk and dawn, and specialist equipment such as bat detectors will be used to identify the present species of bat based on their echolocation calls and determine the likely roosting locations of all bats on the site.
All ecological surveys – including bat surveys – will end with the ecologist producing an ecology report. Following any bat survey, the ecologist will develop a comprehensive bat report containing information about the assessment, supporting evidence including graphs and pictures, and any necessary suggestions that will mitigate the presence of bats. In the event of other protected species being found during the PEA site visit or the further two surveys, the report may also suggest additional assessments, such as protected species surveys for breeding birds, reptiles or barn owls. Once passed across to the local planning authority, the ecology report should give the planning officer all they need to grant planning permission.
Booking a Bat Survey
Due to how important bat reports can be in the process of securing planning applications, developers would benefit from ensuring that the ecological consultancy they choose is reputable and capable of producing the results needed to satisfy the local council. Not only does this include providing bat activity surveys and bat entry and re-entry surveys to a certain standard, but also knowing how to help with the relevant licences to Natural England, such as a European protected species licence.
After more than a decade of providing private and professional clients with bat surveys and reports, we can guarantee a sufficiently extensive and quality service. All of the ecologists within our ranks possess the licensing, qualifications and personal skills to attend a development site in the South East region, undertake a professional bat survey, and assemble a bat report with the insights to seal a successful application for planning consent.
In fact, we are so certain of the services we provide that we offer a free quote to any and all clients based on the bespoke specifications of their site and project. Speak to our team by calling us, filling out our quick quote form or visiting our contact page, and we will give you a no-obligation quote. We will then await your confirmation, and if you are happy to hire us for your bat survey services, we can work out a suitable date and time to visit your site, conduct a bat assessment, recommend further surveys as required, and help you to achieve a planning condition for your project.