UES were appointed by North Wales Police to undertake a bat survey of Llandudno Police Station in September 2015, in order to support a planning application to replace the outdated building with a new fit-for-purpose police station.
Bat presence / absence surveys can only be conducted during the bat survey season (May to September inclusive) and includes a building inspection and dusk / dawn surveys.
The building inspection concentrated on finding any evidence of use by bats in the building, and also any gaps or features which have the potential to be used by roosting bats.
The building was observed through the night by two suitably experienced and licenced bat surveyors using sophisticated bat detection equipment. The equipment picks up and records the ultrasound echolocation calls of the bats making species identification possible. The recorded calls can also be analysed at a later date in more detail.
No bats were recorded roosting in the building and therefore no further survey or mitigation works were required. A low level of bat activity was recorded along the tree-lined road adjacent to the building, but this feature would remain unaffected by the proposed development. A report detailing our findings and recommendations was produced together with photographs, GIS (Geographical Information System) mapping and aerial photography.
UES have since returned to site in February 2016 to undertake a breeding bird nest check of the building prior to demolition. Buildings and vegetation which have the potential to support breeding birds are usually subject to a nest check during the breeding bird season (March to August inclusive) prior to removal. However, due a concerned neighbour North Wales Police instructed UES to undertake a survey in February. Herring gulls were thought to be nesting but in fact were only roosting on the building, and therefore the demolition works on site could continue.