Aware Ecology can undertake bat surveys throughout Shropshire starting from £350+VAT.

Bat species in the UK have suffered considerable population losses over the past years. Therefore, all bats and their roosts are protected by law. This protection means that any development that may impact bats or their roosting locations will require a survey and assessment of the impacts.

All 18 species of British bat are protected by the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended),, we can undertake a range of bat surveys to suit your project’s needs; extended by the ‘Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000’ (CRoW Act). This legislation makes it an offence to:

-          intentionally kill, injure or take a bat;

-          possess or control a bat;

-          intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to a bat roost; and

-          intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat whilst it occupies a bat roost.

At Aware Ecology we can undertake a range of bat surveys to suit your project’s needs, this will start with a preliminary roost assessment (PRA) which will assess the suitability of a structure for roosting bats and determine if the roost is ‘reasonably likely’ to be impacted by the development. This survey provides a recommendation for further surveys should the structure be suitable. These surveys can be undertaken all year round, and we can complete these for projects across all of Shropshire with prices starting from £299, depending on the complexity of your project.

Following the PRA, you may be required to undertake dusk emergence and dawn re-entry surveys. These surveys aim to establish the presence or likely absence of roosting bats and determine the roost type and number of bats present. These surveys can be undertaken from late April to September.

Should it be found that your project will impact roosting bats, then a mitigation licence will need to be obtained from Natural England to enable the project to proceed legally. This may also be supported by a ‘mitigation strategy’ outlining certain factors to consider during the development and provisions to provide bats with continuous access to the current roost or the creation of a replacement roost.

We can also assist with various other bat surveys on your project, including aerial assessments, hibernation assessments and activity surveys.

Don't hesitate to contact us if you have a project in Shropshire that may require bat surveys to assist with your planning application.