Bat Survey in Yorkshire and the Humber

Yorkshire Bat Habitats

Yorkshire and the Humber is made up of the four counties of East Riding of Yorkshire, North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire and West Yorkshire. Many notable towns and cities feature in Yorkshire and the Humber including Bradford, Doncaster, Halifax, Harrogate, Huddersfield, Hull, Leeds, Ripon, Scarborough, Sheffield, Wakefield and York.

Certain areas in North Yorkshire such Cleveland, Great Ayton, Guisborough, Middlesbrough, Redcar, Stokesley and Yarm qualify as sections of Yorkshire but fall outside of the region’s territory, technically making them a part of the North East.

UK bats roost in different structures including houses, churches and bridges. Despite once being a primarily countryside region, Yorkshire and the Humber now has a mix of urban and rural areas, benefitting the standard of biodiversity and the environment but opening up various opportunities for bats to form habitats and build bat roosts.

Common Bats in Yorkshire

Different types of bats may appear depending on the location, and even specific areas of Yorkshire and the Humber could see a variety of species.

From the many species of UK bats in circulation, identified Yorkshire bat species are as follows:

It is a legal offence to interfere with bats, as supported by UK legislation. If you are currently in the process of developing a building or altering a development site that houses any species of bat, it would be strongly advisable to refer to an ecological consultant for a bat survey, addressing any impact on bats through the appropriate survey work.

Conducting a Bat Survey

The process of surveying a site for bats contains several core stages. Firstly, if it is uncertain what kind of species are present, the ecologist will carry out a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) to identify protected species of animals and valuable plants. Based on the results of this assessment, the ecological consultants will recommend other necessary surveys, such as for other European protected species or further bat surveys like a bat hibernation survey. If, for example, bats or evidence of bats such as droppings or the remains of prey is found, a Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) will be conducted to determine the species of bats on the site as well as specific locations of where they are roosting. It is also an opportunity for the ecologist to speak directly to the developer, record details of their development project, and understand whether inhabiting bats would be affected by it.

In the next stage of the process, the ecologist will return to the site for multiple visits between May and September for what is known as a Bat Emergence and Re-Entry Survey (BERS) or bat activity survey. Held solely outside of hibernation and in the summer months of the year using bat detectors and several experienced ecologists, the purpose of a BERS is to confirm the species of bats and understand all of the entry and exit points on the plot of land, in turn deciphering the roost type and location. Once the PRA and bat activity surveys are complete, the ecologist will assemble a report from the completed bat surveys that details the survey and contains suggested next steps to benefit planning applications before they are submitted to the local planning authority.

Assessing Your Site

In order to be granted planning approval for development projects, you need to ensure that every possible consideration is covered. The only way of guaranteeing this outcome, however, is through choosing an ecologist with a proven track record, extensive experience conducting ecological services such as bat surveys, and the necessary level of expertise. All of our ecological consultants are educated to degree-level, licenced and proven experts in protected species surveys.

We also guarantee assistance in a number of areas, such as helping with mitigation licence applications for Natural England licences and advising on further ecological surveys for other European protected species if needed, such as for great crested newts, in addition to undertaking bat surveys on your Yorkshire development site. As a result, we stand out as a viable option and yearn to do all we can to get your planning applications to the local authorities over the line. To learn more and book bat surveys with our licensed bat workers, contact us for a free quote via the box above or over the phone using the number at the top of this page.