Bat survey report for: Mellaston Farm, Hundleton, Pembroke, Pembrokeshire,

SA71 5RB.

12/08/2016

A European Protected Species Licence will NOT be required for this development to be undertaken, specific and species dedicated bat roost provision is also to be created within the renovated barn….this proposed mitigation will remain unchanged if a licence is demanded or not. The final decision as to whether a bat licence is required of not, rests with the appropriate authority (NRW). Their decision “will be proportionate based on the predicted degree of risk to the local bio-diversity” (BS42020).

Contact: Glyn Lloyd-Jones [email protected] 07973 685423 Iestyn Evans [email protected] 07733 214829 I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com

Contents

Executive Summary 2 A note on Bat Surveys 3 Surveyors 3 Introduction 4 Equipment Used and Methods 4-5 Location of Property and description 5-6 Bat Survey Results 6-7 Discussion of the Results 7 Limitations of Survey 7 Recommendations – Compensation & Mitigation advice 8 Notes 8 Method Statement 9 Conclusion 9

Appendix 1 10-14 Appendix 2 15-24 References 25 Legal disclaimer 26

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Executive Summary

The owner of Unit 5; a barn on the site of Mellaston farm in the village of Hundleton on the outskirts of Pembroke (which is a single storey barn in an elevated rural setting) seeks planning consent for its conversion to residential use.

Building / demolition work would be likely to affect bats or roosts should they be present. I&G were commissioned to carry out a bat survey of the building and site. The survey consisted of a daytime “scoping” (presence / absence) and activity survey/s to provide extra confidence in our findings.

During the preliminary inspection and the activity surveys no evidence of bat activity was found in or around the barn, however there was potential to support crevice dwellers and other species due to failed pointing and open doors.

As part of the development plans for the site, a number of bat measures (see appendix 2) must be included to compensate for the potential loss of roosting opportunity and to provide site enhancement including the provision of a large dedicated bat loft. This will occupy the left hand half of the barn conversion (viewed from the front elevation).

Due to the lack of bat interest in the barn and the low risk of encountering any bats, the development should proceed as planned, but with due care and vigilance especially at the wall tops and ridges.

There were no signs of owl activity but activity by swallows had occurred as small patches of guano were seen.

In line with NRW recommendations we have included their checklist for Low Risk sites (from NRW Approach to Bats and Planning – p5, October 2015):

A lower risk case is one where a bat report confirms that bats are present, but NONE of the following apply: Maternity roosts of any bat species regardless of the size of the roost. Please note that some species form small maternity roosts. It is therefore essential that sufficient justification is set out in the bat report to support the assessment of the nature of the use of the roost by bats. Hibernation roosts of any species. Any proposal involving greater horseshoe bat, lesser horseshoe bat, barbastelle bat, Bechstein’s bat, grey long-eared bat, Leisler’s bat, serotine bat and Nathusius’ pipistrelle bat. Any proposal involving roost sites for 3 or more different bat species. Any mating or swarming site considered to be important on the basis of the submitted bat report.

If one or more of the above criteria do apply, there is a higher risk of the proposal being detrimental to the maintenance of the population of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in its natural range, meaning that a licence will in all likelihood be necessary for the development to proceed legally. No bats are likely to be harmed or disturbed by the proposed development meaning this is an extremely low risk case and NRW will not need to be consulted. An EPS licence will also not be necessary for this development to proceed.

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Care during construction

1. Work to stop immediately if any bats are encountered during any works and I&G to be called for advice and guidance.

A note on Bat Surveys

Bats are the only mammal capable of true flight and are notoriously difficult to survey for as they cannot be heard unaided and they are difficult to see due to their nocturnal behaviour. They are also small and can live in the smallest of crevices so may often, as a result of their size, be overlooked.

Bats may also change their resting and feeding places regularly throughout the year depending on the time of year and weather conditions, so other signs of use are also looked for such as their droppings or signs of feeding.

Any sign of use is enough to confirm that the space has “bat interest” and is enough to confirm the importance of the location to bat species. All species as well as their resting places are protected by law and the site is protected even when bats are not present.

They are also longer lived than other mammals of a similar size e.g. Horseshoe bats are known to live for 30-40 years and the other species of bats 15–20 years. A single bat colony may have several roost sites which it uses throughout the year.

Surveyors

Glyn Lloyd-Jones has significant experience in survey and presentation skills and has also assisted many other licensed bat surveyors over the past years. He possesses both a bachelors degree (with honours) and masters degree in the biological sciences and is now also a member of the Royal Society of Biology. Licence number 72789:OTH:CSAB:2016.

Iestyn Evans has extensive experience in conservation, habitat improvement and management and has also worked with other licensed bat workers for many years. Licence number 57538:OTH:CSAB:2014.

Peter Watts provided support during the activity surveys.

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Introduction

This report has been produced by I&G Ecological Consulting on behalf of Mr. J. Colley to support an application for the conversion of a barn known as Unit 5 to residential use. The site has been surveyed previously between 8th and 11th June 2009 by Annie Haycock who suggested the site may act as a night feeding roost for Greater Horseshoe Bats. No evidence to support this was discovered during our surveys.

Equipment Used and Method of Survey

Survey methodologies were implemented as appropriate based on the surveyors' assessment of the site features and with particular reference to the advice in Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists: Good practice guidelines 3rd Edition (The Bat Conservation Trust, 2016) & The Bat Workers' Manual 3rd ed. (JNCC 2004).

The scoping survey was undertaken on Thursday 28th July 2016 at 18.00hrs. The survey consisted of a visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the building/s for:

 Evidence of bat use, including droppings, feeding remains, staining and scratching around roost exit and entry points.  Potential bat features such as voids in the stonework, wooden beams and any associated rot holes, gaps behind soffits or within walls and facia boards. Raised tiles, any raised render, any sufficiently large crevices.  General condition of the buildings, including the structure of the roof, condition of walls, the potential for disturbance and the position of the building in relation to connectivity to good bat habitat.

The potential of the building for bats was classified into one of the following categories:  High Roosting Potential – Buildings with significant potential containing a large number of suitable features or features present appear optimal;  Medium Roosting Potential – Buildings with roosting features appearing less suitable;  Low or No Roosting Potential – Buildings with few if any features suitable for roosting.

Endoscopes, high powered torches, a thermal imaging camera and close-focussing monoculars were used when necessary to aid the surveyor’s assessment. Elekon batscanners as well as a magenta 5 were used during the activity surveys. An anabat Express was deployed in the right hand side of the barn aiming down to the left of the barn.

A dusk activity survey was undertaken on Thursday July 28th. Sunset occurred at 21:12 hours. The start temperature was a balmy and humid 18.3°C. There was no breeze and no cloud, the location is well sheltered. There was an abundance of flying insects.

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A dawn survey was undertaken on Friday 12th August and started at 19:00 hours. Sunrise occurred at 06:01 hours. The survey started at 04:35 and finished at 06:10. The start temperature was 16.3°C and there was no breeze with scattered cloud.

Location of Property and Description (Characteristics) Grid Reference: SM 95030 00357

The barn (Unit 5) at Mellaston Farm is a stone single storey detached barn with an unlined corrugated asbestos roof. The building is in fair condition (generally). The building is presently used for storage and sits in an elevated position only 1.5km from the coast at the mouth of the Pembroke River. There are many suitable landscape scale features which make for a highly suitable “batscape”. The features include improved and semi-improved grassland, managed and unmanaged hedgerows, streams and rivers as well as many small wooded areas.

Figure 1: Aerial view of Mellaston Farm (from Bing® Maps).The red circle show the building surveyed and the yellow arrow shows where bats were both seen and detected.

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Figure 1.1: shows the proximity of Mellaston Farm (Red Star) to any designated sites. 3.5km to the southwest is Stackpole SSSI with its known horseshoe bat nursery roost and the Pembrokeshire Bat Sites and Bosherton Lakes SAC. Orielton SSSI and the known LHS colony is only 1.2km away. 1.5km to the north is the Pembrokeshire Marine SAC and Milford Haven Waterway SSSI.

Results

 The preliminary roost visit (Scoping Survey) was used to identify all potential access and egress points for bats in the building and identify crevices and possible dwelling places; no signs of bat activity were discovered.  During the dusk survey 1-2 lesser horseshoe bats were detected as well as a Noctule. One unidentified Myotis was also detected.  The dawn survey was extremely busy in terms of Greater horseshoe bat activity with the majority of activity detected to the rear of the barn within the fields (southwest of the barn). Almost Impossible to record there were that many calls present!  Four Pipistrellus bats were seen to forage and commute within the farmyard but calls were hard to detect, possibly due to the amplitude of the horseshoe calls. No bats were seen to take an interest in the barn.  An Anabat express deployed within the barn detected a great deal of R.ferrumequinum activity in the vicinity as did the previous survey undertaken in 2009 by Annie Haycock.  No droppings were found; no feeding signs or actual bats were seen within the barn, neither were they seen to leave or enter the barn on the dusk or dawn survey.  A records search shows that roosts for Greater Horsehsoe bats exist at Popton, Orielton and Stackpole. There is also a known maternity colony for Lesser Horseshoe bats present at Orielton Stable Block and Cellars SSSI only 1.2km away so the habitat surrounding the barn may provide an important commuting route.

Previous results gained by Annie Haycocks’ survey undertaken seven years prior to this report are as below: No droppings were found, no bats were observed using the building and the passive recorder detected bats using the area. The passive recorder findings are always open to interpretation as the corrugated asbestos roof was unlined and there was also no insulation to dampen exterior influences.

This was experienced by myself when NO bats were seen to enter or leave the barn but 707 passes from a Greater horseshoe bat was detected on one occasion over a 2 hour period: it’s hard to imagine a Greater Horseshoe flying around within the barn for two hours and even harder to imagine if the barn is used at this level why there are no droppings or feeding signs evident. No Lesser horseshoe bats were detected in the 2009 survey.

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Discussion

No signs of any bat activity were found in or around the building. However due to the high number of Greater horseshoe bat (R.ferrumequinum) passes detected by the Anabat deployed and during the dawn activity survey on site we recommend through discussion with the architect and client that a dedicated roost be built to provide significant site enhancement for this species and to compensate for the loss of roosting opportunity (although as seen above- they do not appear to be using the structure at present but are using the field to the rear for foraging and socialising in large numbers). This may also serve to extend their feeding range as both Rhinolophidae have been seen to utilise night feeding roosts to rest and feed before returning to their primary roost. Knight, T and Jones G (2009) as well as Downs et al (2016) amongst others have demonstrated the importance of night roosts to many species in extending their range and habitat.

The omni-directional microphone of the anabat SDI, SDII and Express “will in principle pick up sound equally from all directions” meaning less calls are likely to be missed. From the previous report undertaken in 2009 it is also hard to tell how the Greater horseshoe bats would have flown directly into the barn as both doors were intact and closed at night seven years ago and there are no openings in the gable end walls.

In preparing this report I&G have applied the principle of ‘proportionality’ i.e. that the extent of mitigation, survey effort and compensation/enhancement is proportionate to the predicted degree of risk to ecology (BS 42020).

Limitations of Survey

All parts of the building were accessible; and all were inspected. Crevices and gaps were endoscoped, there was also a large pale canvas sheet suspended from half of the roof making an ideal “bat traffic monitor” where droppings and urine stains would be easy to see and collect – however none were found. As a precaution we recommend that if there’s a period of 2 years or more between when the survey was completed and when the work commences that a further survey or scoping survey should be undertaken to ensure that the situation regarding bats has not changed since the time of the last survey.

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Recommendations, Requirements and Mitigation

Work is to stop immediately if in the event that bats are encountered during any building works and I&G to be called for advice and guidance. Site enhancement will be created by installing 2x Schwegler 1WQ bat roosting boxes one onto the south-western gable of the building, and another facing northeast, mounted in an elevated position away from windows and lighting. We also recommend that the owner further augment the site enhancement by erecting 2-3 standard bat boxes/Kent bat boxes on site (e.g. on trees and within open outbuildings) as well as creating gaps beneath soffit boards when the new roof is installed. We also encourage the owner to create a “sympathetic” and bat friendly log shed when needed having a roof supported by timbers and open front with perching areas will allow commuting and foraging horseshoe bats to extend their night foraging range. Also despite the absence of bats within the barn and none seen to use the barn on emergence or dawn re-entry survey the property owner is content to create a tailor made roost suitable for the many Horseshoe bats (detected by passive recording) and seen during the activity surveys within part of the roof structure.

Notes Bats could be present all year round, especially if making casual use of the site. If bats are encountered I&G should be consulted and advice sought. Natural Resources Wales (Tel. 0300 065 3000) will also be able to help.

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Method Statement

Below, we outline a description of how work may be undertaken on site that will ensure bats are not harmed during any building works. 1. If in the event that any bats are discovered during the building works then the licenced ecologist must be informed and building worked stopped until a licenced bat ecologist is on site and the bats no longer at risk of harm. Natural Resources Wales can also be approached for advice. Any works may be undertaken following the points below:

Timing – There are no specific restrictions upon the timing of works. Roof Works – A licenced bat worker will be available for advice and guidance in the event that bats are encountered during the roof works and will attend site if necessary and will not leave until all risk to bats has been neutralised. Extra care should always be taken when working on the ridges or wall tops as bats are commonly discovered in these areas. To negate any risk to bats the present roof could be removed during the colder months. The Loft Creation – When creating a loft space in the renovated barn, entry to the interior of the loft will be facilitated by a cowling, this will allow access by Greater horseshoe bats to the southern gable end with a hole of 500x400mm beneath. This Bat-loft will have ONLY Bitumastic (bituminous) felt type 1F (to BS747) and NO Breathable Roofing Membrane will be used. It can be insulated as normal and must also have an attic inspection hatch installed. The Demolition phase – All works can be undertaken without restriction but with due care and vigilance. The Construction phase – All works can be undertaken without restriction but with due care and vigilance.

Conclusion No bats were seen to utilise the barn (Unit 5) at Mellaston Farm on the activity surveys, but bats are (unsurprisingly) utilising the site. After suitable mitigation measures are incorporated into the design for the barn conversion then the local population of bats will benefit from the development as they’ll have a suite of new dedicated options to explore that will have been tailor made. The creation of the roost space within the loft of the renovated barn will compensate for the loss of roosting opportunity in the area and could provide valuable night roosting / day roosting facilities extending the foraging range for both Rhinolophidae species as well as other species such as the Brown long eared bat who have also been shown to benefit from night roosting provision. A large specific roost space suitable for use by Greater Horseshoe bats will be created within the loft space of the conversion to be built as described above.

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Appendix 1

British bat species and their status

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Timing of Surveys and applicability of survey methods

As the mitigation guidelines state: The presence of a significant bat roost… can normally be determined on a single visit at any time of year, provided that the entire structure is accessible and that any signs of bat activity have not been removed by others.

Taken from Bat Mitigation Guidelines (2004)

Recommended Survey Timings (from Good practice guidelines 3rd Edition 2016).

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Recommended minimum number of surveys to be carried out according to roost potential (from Good practice guidelines 3rd Edition 2016).

Roosts required by bats

Hibernation sites (Hibernacula). Sheltered areas with relatively stable winter temperatures. Underground cavities, caves, mines, cellars, hollow trees and cavities and crevices in buildings or similar structures are examples. Nursery roosts (maternity roosts). Places usually warm, where adult females of a colony gather to give birth and rear their young. These are often traditional sites with a history of such use and include roof voids, walls, soffit boxes, hollows and cracks/splits in trees and cavities in bridges and similar structures. Night roosts /feeding perches. Places where bats may gather at night away from the day roost after initial feeding. These places are often quite exposed and may not be suitable for day roosting. They are often recognisable by deposits of droppings and insect remains. Intermediate /dispersal roosts. Sites where small numbers of bats may gather after hibernation before taking up residence in the nursery roost. Bats may return to these sites after dispersal from the nursery roost and before entering hibernation. Mating/male roosts. Places that an individual male may defend from other males and to which he will attempt to lure females. These will include small holes/cavities in trees, stonework, caves, mines and buildings.

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Bats and the Law.

Bats are protected by the following pieces of legislation:

Schedule 5 and 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the CROW [Countryside Rights of Way] Act 2000) The Environmental Damage (Prevention & Remediation) Regulations 2009 – A protected species and its habitat is protected under this legislation as well as others. The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 (regulation 41) fully protects all bats and their roosts, making it an offence to deliberately kill, injure or capture (take) bats; to deliberately disturb bats; damage or destroy bat roosts or resting places (this is considered an “Absolute Offence” as damage and destruction may detrimentally effect the Continuous Ecological Functionality of that roost / resting place); possess or transport a bat or any part of a bat; sell (or offer for sale) or exchange bats or parts of bats. For any disturbance to occur a derogation or EPS licence must be gained from Natural Resources Wales. To gain an EPS Licence from Natural Resources Wales (NRW), NRW must be satisfied that; i. granting the licence would not be detrimental to the Favourable Conservation Status (fcs) of the populations of species concerned within its natural range. ii. the derogation (licence) is in the public interest of Health and Safety or for other reasons of over-riding public interest, including those of a socio- economic nature or will have a benefit of primary importance to the environment. iii. there is no satisfactory alternative to the derogation which would allow the described development to proceed but which would avoid or reduce, the need for any adverse impact to the species. Bats are also protected by; Appendix III of the Bern Convention Appendix II of the Bonn Convention (including the Convention's Agreement on the conservation of Bats in Europe) Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006. The Environment (Wales) Act 2016: Specifically Sections 6 (places a duty upon Local Authorities to enhance biodiversity and the resilience of ecosystems) and 7 (Creating local biodiversity lists and a duty to take steps to maintain and enhance biodiversity) All bats are listed in Annex IV of the EC Habitats Directive and the British species listed in Schedule 2 of the Habitats Regulations 1994 (as amended) and are therefore designated as European Protected Species. These protected species are afforded enhanced protection and more stringent licensing provisions than those protected by the Wildlife and Countryside Act (WACA) alone.

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Birds and the Law

Apart from a few game and ‘pest’ species, almost all birds are afforded some level of statutory protection under the WACA (1981). The vast majority of British birds and their nests are protected from reckless harm or damage, killing or injury. This protection is also extended to their eggs and young. The Barn Owl and other rare species are afforded extra enhanced protection against disturbance whilst nesting as they are designated a Schedule 1 species in the WACA. This protection is extended to the animal and their nest only while the nest is in use, the site itself is not protected per se once nesting behaviour has ceased and is no longer occupied by eggs or young. Best practice indicates that sites that are important for rarer species (e.g. Barn Owl) should be retained in a favourable condition for that species or provision of a suitable alternative be made (e.g. Owl Box etc) as the species and nesting site may be detrimentally affected by the proposed development.

The Barn Owl is a species for special consideration where any old agricultural building is concerned as it is considered a nationally declining species, a ‘Red Data Bird’ and is also cited on the ‘Amber List’ of Birds of Conservation Concern both within Wales and the wider UK. This species as well as another two out of the five known species of owl normally resident in the British Isles regularly use buildings / barns as nesting sites.

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Appendix 2

Figure 2: The front of Unit 5 barn at Mellaston. The right hand side door is left open. The majority of the pointing is sound and the roof is made of unlined corrugated asbestos.

Figure 3: shows the southwest and northeast gable ends. The green square shows the position that the Schwegler 1WQ bat boxes will be erected. The top right image shows where the Anabat express was deployed and a depiction cone of the microphone.

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Figure 4: The interior of the barn had one old swallow’s nest, a large patch of guano, crevices were endoscoped (no signs found). Swallow Cup nesting facilities will have to be erected to provide alternate accommodation. The tarpaulin suspended from half of the roof can be seen here.

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Figure 5: shows the surfaces within the barn, all were devoid of bat signs. The building next door to the barn has suffered storm damage since the last report undertaken in 2009. The final two images are of the large tarpaulin sheet that is suspended from half of the roof making the collection and sighting of bat droppings a simple task…..however none were found in 2009 or 2016.

Date Species Time Number of passes 28 July Nyctalus noctula 22.23 1 28 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 01.05 1 28 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.16 – 03.00 600 28 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.00 – 04.06 202 28 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 04.06 – 04.08 48 28 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 04.15 1 29 July Nyctalus noctula 22.18 1 29 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.32 3 29 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 22.42 1 29 July Myotis mystacinus? 22.44 1 29 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.46 2 29 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 23.16 1 30 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 01.13 1 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.22 – 01.36 238 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.37 – 03.30 158 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.32 – 03.52 45 30 July Nyctalus noctula 21.58 1 30 July Nyctalus noctula 22.07 1 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 22.18 1 30 July Nyctalus noctula 22.20 1

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30 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.26 1 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 23.02 1 30 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 23.08 2 30 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 23.24 1 30 July Rhinolophus hipposideros 23.35 1 31 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.23 1 31 July Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.30 – 03.57 370 31 July Nyctalus noctula 22.38 – 22.42 3 31 July Nyctalus noctula 22.55 1 31 July Nyctalus noctula 23.16 1 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 00.39 – 00.44 24 1 Aug Nyctalus noctula 00.49 1 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.05 1 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.14 – 03.00 707 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.00 – 03.43 138 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.50 – 04.20 136 1 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 22.12 – 22.44 138 2 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.34 1 2 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.52 – 03.54 2 2 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.57 1 2 Aug Nyctalus noctula 04.59 1 2 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 22.08 – 22.19 73 2 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 22.20 – 22.23 233 3 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 00.43 -01.00 173 3 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.00 – 02.10 42 3 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.10 – 02.21 112 3 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.22 – 03.00 141 3 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.00 – 03.33 489 4 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 23.32 1 4 Aug Nyctalus noctula 23.33 1 4 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 23.51 – 23.53 2 5 Aug Nyctalus noctula 01.20 1 5 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.52 – 02.06 120 5 Aug Nyctalus noctula 02.10 – 02.11 2 5 Aug Plecotus auritus 02.29 1 5 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 02.33 1 5 Aug Nyctalus noctula 02.42 1 5 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.42 – 02.49 72 5 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.31 – 03.50 31 5 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.56 - 04.14 198 5 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.13 1 5 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.17 1 6 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 00.09 – 00.10 5 6 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.20 – 01.49 48 6 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.21 1 6 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.04 - 04.01 255 6 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 04.02 – 04.08 43 7 Aug Nyctalus noctula 21.50 1 8 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.01 – 01.18 308 8 Aug Nyctalus noctula 01.18 1 8 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.21 – 02.19 258 8 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 03.19 – 03.59 403

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8 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 21.51 2 8 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.17 – 22.19 4 8 Aug Nyctalus noctula 22.25 1 8 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.25 – 22.28 4 9 Aug Plecotus auritus 01.27 1 9 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 01.48 – 03.28 97 9 Aug Nyctalus noctula 21.45 1 9 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.00 1 9 Aug Myotis mystacinus? 22.04 1 9 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.30 1 9 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.38 1 9 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 22.40 1 10 Aug Rhinolophus hipposideros 00.36 1 10 Aug Rhinolophus ferrumequinum 02.24 – 02.25 19 10 Aug Nyctalus noctula 04.53 1 Figure 6: shows the results gained from an Anabat express deployed for 12 days. The majority of passes were from the Greater horseshoe bat likely to be foraging nearby or commuting over the site. This was both seen and heard during the activity surveys. None were seen to exit or enter the barn. The anabat was deployed within the barn at the site on 28 July 2016 and was removed on the 10 August 2016. The species detected were Greater Horseshoe, Lesser Horseshoe, Noctule, Brown Long eared and possibly Whiskered’s bats between 16 June and 27 June bats. The most frequent calls (600 in total over a 44 minute period) were made by Greater Horseshoe bats. This is a significant number of passes over a short time period. From the analysis it appeared that the majority of large numbers of Greater Horseshoe passes occurred most nights from between 01.00am to 04.00am in the morning. The quantity of bat passes and the inclusion of social calls by the Greater Horseshoe bats indicate that this species are hunting, socialising and commuting. It is highly likely that the anabat was picking up calls outside the building, particularly as the building was open i.e. no windows or doors to exclude and prevent detection. This is supported by the lack of evidence of bat presence within the building and no bats were seen to emerge from the building during the activity surveys. In addition to this, the building is located in an area surrounded by open farmland, which this species is known to forage for their prey, particularly in livestock fields where dung beetles such as cockchafer will be present. It is probable that the Greater Horseshoe bats have commuted to foraging grounds from the maternity roosts that known to be present in the South Pembrokeshire area. The remaining passes made by the rest of the species detected are infrequent and of low numbers. This indicates that these are also commuting past the building, rather than using the building as a roost. The lack of evidence of the presence of bats within the building; the timings of bat passes (i.e. early hours of the morning rather than at dusk) and the fact that no bats were seen to leave or enter the building, suggests that the likelihood of a bat roost being present in this building is low.

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Figure 7: Shows the Kent bat box; to be erected on the outbuilding on site and within some of the trees.

Figure 8: position of surveyors on the activity surveys. Positions altered during the dawn survey.

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Figure 9: Shows “gap creating measures” which cost nothing but have been proven to work. These measures will create further opportunity for the crevice dwellers…if box soffits are to be renewed/ installed please refer to measurements shown. The second image shows a Schwegler 1WQ – multi season roosting box.

Figure 9: shows the raised ridge tile detail. The raised ridge tiles above the area where a bat roost is to be created will facilitate access for other species.

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Figure 10: shows the position of a dedicated bat loft for Greater horseshoe bats. A hole measuring 500x400mm will be cut into the left hand hip of the roof to link to the interior of the loft space. The trusses will be of an attic truss type (to reduce intra-loft clutter). There will be an attic hatch for inspection and cleaning. This area of the loft will also only have Bitumastic felt applied (Type 1F to BS 747). No Breathable Roof membrane is to be used here. To facilitate further access for other species a pair of raised ridge tiles can also be installed.

Figure 11: shows the internal structure of the purpose made G.Horseshoe roost to be created within one half of the loft space of the converted barn. The roost will be suitable for other species too.

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Will bats prevent my development from taking place?

Bats do not cause structural damage, are seldom a risk to animals or humans, do not make nests and primarily feed on insects. If bats are found in most cases mitigation measures can be identified that will enable the development to go ahead.

Key facts Bats are not rodents They do not chew wood, wires or insulation They do not build nests They feed primarily on insects They do not bring insects into the roost Have one baby a year Seasonal visitors in houses Certain types of bat can catch up to 600 insects in 1 hour Bats are not blind Seldom transmit disease to humans or animals Only bite in self defence

Access, size of roost space and structure

• Crevice-dwelling bats (such as Soprano Pipistrelles) can crawl into their roosts via small gaps in the range of 15 - 20mm high by 20 – 50mm wide. The roost area should maintain a crevice of this approximate size gap that the bats can roost between. The area this roost provision covers can be small but about 1m2 would be useful for summer nursery roosts. The height of entry can be from 2 - 7m.

• Roof-void dwelling bats require similar dimensions to access the roost but typically need timber joists or beams on which to roost. The height of entry can be from 2 - 7m.

• Bats needing a flying area require the same access dimension as mentioned above, 15 - 20mm (h) x 20-50mm (w) situated over 2m in height. The roosting area should not be trussed, to allow flight, and should ideally be about 2.8m in height and 5m in length and width.

• Horseshoe bats need a larger access so that they can fly (instead of crawl) directly into the roost. Lesser horseshoe bats need an access of 300mm (w) x 200mm (h), while greater horseshoe bats need 400mm (w) x 300mm (h). As above, the roosting area should not be trussed, to allow flight, and should ideally be about 2.8m in height and 5m in length and width.

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References

Bat Conservation Trust, 2010. Bats in Buildings. Bats and the Built Environment Series: Volume 1.

British Standards Institute, BS 42020:2013. Biodiversity. Code of practice for planning and development. August 2013.

BSI (2015) BS8596:2015 Surveying for Bats in Trees and Woodland. British Standards Institution, London, UK.

Dietz, C., Helversen, O. von, Nill, D., 2009. Bats of Britain, Europe and Northwest Africa. A. & C. Black, London.

Downs, Nick C., Cresswell, Warren J., Reason, Paola., Sutton, Giles., David Wells, Leyton Williams and Stephanie Wray (2016). Activity Patterns and Use of Night Roosts by Lesser Horseshoe Bats Rhinolophus hipposideros (Borkhausen, 1797). Acta Chiropterologica 18(1):223-237. May 2016.

HM Government (1981). The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (As Amended). London. HMSO

Collins, J (ed.) (2016). Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists: Good Practice Guidelines, 3rd Ed. The Bat Conservation Trust. London.

Knight, T; Jones, G (2009). Importance of night roosts for bat conservation: roosting behaviour of the lesser horseshoe bat Rhinolophus hipposideros. ENDANGERED SPECIES RESEARCH. Vol. 8: 79 – 86, 2009

Mitchell-Jones, AJ (2004a). Bat Mitigation Guidelines. English Nature, Peterborough

Mitchell-Jones, AJ; Mcleish A,P (2004a) Bat Workers Manual. English Nature, Peterborough

Mitchell-Jones, A.J., COOKE, A.S., BOYD, I.L., STEBBINGS, R.E., 1989. Bats and remedial timber treatment chemicals a review. Mammal Rev. 19, 93–110.

Morris, P.A. (1993). A Red Data Book for British Mammals. The Mammal Society, London

Waring, S. D; Essah, E. A; Gunnell, K; Bonser, R. H. C (2013). Double Jeopardy: The Potential for Problems when Bats Interact with Breathable Roofing Membranes in the United Kingdom. Architecture and Environment (2013).

Welsh Assembly Government (WAG 2003). List of Species and Habitats of Principal Importance for the Conservation of Biological Diversity. Welsh Government. Cardiff

Williams, C., 2010. Biodiversity for low and zero carbon buildings: a technical guide for new build. RIBA Pub., London.

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I&G Ecological Consulting Legal Disclaimer

This report was prepared by I&G Ecological Consulting at the instruction of, and for use by, our client(s) named on the front of the report. It does not in any way constitute advice to any third party who is able to access it by any means. I&G Ecological Consulting excludes to the fullest extent lawfully permitted all liability whatsoever for any loss or damage howsoever arising from reliance on the contents of this report. We do not however exclude our liability (if any) for personal injury or death resulting from our negligence, for fraud or any other matter in relation to which we cannot legally exclude liability.

We confirm that in preparing this Report we have exercised reasonable skill and care, taking into account the project objectives, the agreed scope of the work and prevailing site conditions.

Advice in this report is based on the judgement of I&G Ecological Consulting and the interpretation of data gathered during the course of their survey on the property named in this document. The findings and advice given during the course of this survey is provided by employees of I&G Ecological Consulting acting only on behalf of I&G Ecological Consulting. The employees of I&G may hold other paid employment but none of their advice or work undertaken in respect of producing this report refers to any roles or responsibilities held in any other employment other than that held at I&G Ecological Consulting.

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