Stable conversion, anyone avoided doing a bat survey?

We have two stone built stables, tack room and trap house we are applying to convert.
Rather than waste money doing a bat survey we would like to spend the money on providing bat roosts. Has anyone convinced the planners to allow conversion without doing surveys?

We recently sold some barns around which we regularly saw bats but a survey showed no roosts so no roosts were put in the conversions. we would rather spend the money on some benefit!
 

chaffcutter

Moderator
Arable Farmer
Location
S. Staffs
We ended up having to do a survey twice! We originally got pp to change our Stables into offices. When we decided the rural office market was overdone and decided to convert to residential for ourselves, because it had pp for offices we had to do it again! Also annoyingly we wouldn’t have needed full planning by then and could have done it on s Q!
 
Admirable thoughts but optimistic.

Better to get a report done, review and then get a second done with better results.

Even if nothing is found in the second the ‘local maps’ may show bats in the area so they tell you to carry out mitigation anyway.

No logic, fight fire with fire!
 

farmerm

Member
Location
Shropshire
It seems to me bat surveys are there to allow developers to avoid the need to install mitigating features in the development if bats are not present.. If a developer wishes to assume the presence of bats and install appropriate mitigating features that should really supersede the need for a survey.... Problem I suspect is their may be different requirements depending on what species are identified in the survey?
 

br jones

Member
It seems to me bat surveys are there to allow developers to avoid the need to install mitigating features in the development if bats are not present.. If a developer wishes to assume the presence of bats and install appropriate mitigating features that should really supersede the need for a survey.... Problem I suspect is their may be different requirements depending on what species are identified in the survey?
Our planning inspectors will not acknowledge a planning application ,unless a bat survey is presented on application
 

scottrac

Member
Location
lincolnshire
my advise after still going through the process is before you ring any ecologists get rid of them!!!!
We had 2 common house bats found in ours and the rules they were going to put in place were shocking
Depending on dates we were going to have to have an ecologist there when we removed a roof at ££££ per hour.
then covid hit and we're just getting going with it again,
Emailed him saying that if we put up bat boxes and take the roof off before april (when the bats come) then can we crack on.
Said no we have to have at least one more survey in april/may before we start work!!!!
I'm just hoping for strong winds before april and then the roof might fall off in the wind;)
 
prevention is better than cure, light drafty buildings will encourage them to move out on their own accord.

I would be surprised if any application with out a survey would be accepted with a planning app. I am pushing my luck on a 3 x 6m shed it is light and draftee though.

as soon as you put up mitigation for one building that doesn't cut the mustard for any other surrounding ones either! different bats have different mitigation requirements. some like top floor apartment's with sea views. I once had to build a garage for a bat to live in in Wales so I could convert a barn where NO BATS WERE EVER FOUND! had to have a high spec, all but the kitchen sink to appease them!
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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