UES were appointed by a local developer to undertake phase 1 bat surveys of a house in the Bidston area of Birkenhead on the Wirral. The developer was seeking planning permission to demolish the old building and create a modern housing development on the site.
The building was assessed both internally and externally, including all accessible roof spaces, for its potential to support roosting bats. Some of the external features on the building were not safely accessible due to the height of the main house and therefore could not be inspection to determine the presence or absence in bats. Usually in this scenario you would recommend that further bat presence / absence surveys are undertaken during the bat survey season, May to September inclusive. However, this would have resulted in a serious delay to the proposed demolition date.
To expedite the works UES hired a raised platform (aka cherry picker) to examine the potential roosting features high on the exterior of the building. Trained operators assisted UES ecologists, enabling safe access to all parts of the building exterior. Close examination of potential roosting features is imperative in establishing historical use by bats.
The survey found no use of any of the features by bats, but did identify historical use by nesting birds. The client was advised of the legal responsibilities with regard to nesting birds, and no further survey or mitigation work with regard to bats was required.