This building – a stone barn in the grounds of a cottage in Old Brampton – was assessed for bats in January 2021. Some works to the building had already been completed, as the rear wall needed repair.   I found a single bat dropping in a crevice on the outside of the building, and as there were numerous other crevices which bats could roost in, I had to recommend some additional surveys in summer to check whether there were active bats roosts.

My advice was followed and the client commissioned Wildscapes to undertake dusk and pre-dawn bat surveys.  These surveys showed that there most likely wasn’t an active roost here, and so a bat licence wasn’t required.   Derbyshire Wildlife Trust (the consultee for ecology matters throughout Derbyshire), agreed with my and Wildscapes’ findings and recommendations and the application was approved in August 2021.