Bat inspections and emergency surveys to support a planning application for the conversion of a disused stables and bell tower formerly within the Bawdsey Manor Estate to residential use. The survey found the buildings were variously used as a non-maternity roost and occasional roost by small numbers of Common pipistrelle and Brown long-eared bats.
Conversion of the buildings without mitigation would result in the loss of the roost, and the risk of killing or injury during the works. Successful European Protected Species licence applications were made for each conversion project, and appropriate mitigation developed. Mitigation comprised soft-stripping roof tiles, the use of two disused rooms within the Old Stables specifically for bats, incorporation of bat boxes into the structure of the buildings during the conversion works, and omission of external lighting.
