Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH 25/05/2016 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 Location of Property and description 5 Bat Survey Results 5 Discussion of the Results 6 Conclusions 6 Limitations of Survey 6 Recommendations – Compensation & Mitigation advice 6 Notes 6 Method Statement 7 Appendix 1 8-12 Appendix 2 13-17 References 18 Legal disclaimer 19 1 Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com Executive Summary The owners of Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach seek planning consent to add an extension to the rear and side of their property. A small stone built shed to the rear of the property and a large corrugated steel building to the side of the property will be demolished to create the space for the new extensions. 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 buildings and site. The survey consisted of a daytime “scoping” (presence / absence) survey as well as activity surveys to ascertain usage (if any) by bats. During both the preliminary inspection as well as the activity surveys, no evidence of bat activity was found in or around the house. The house was classified as having low potential as (surprisingly for this type of building) the roof was very well sealed; the walls were well mortared and the verges of the roof were all covered in cement. The large corrugated building was also well sealed; the only building with any real potential was the small stone built shed. Due to the lack of bat interest 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 also no signs of owl activity. An EPS licence will not necessary for this development to proceed. Two activity surveys were undertaken to ascertain any usage of the buildings by bats. 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. 2 Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com 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 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 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. Licence number 57539:OTH:CSAB:2014. Mr Peter Watts assisted with the activity surveys. 3 Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com Introduction This report has been produced by I&G Ecological Consulting on behalf of Mr David Metcalfe-Holland who seeks planning permission for the addition of an extension to the rear and side of his property. 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 Monday 2nd May 2016 at 19.00hrs. The survey consisted of a visual inspection of the interior and exterior of the building 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. A dawn and dusk survey was carried out to confirm the lack of bat presence in the property. The dusk survey was carried out on Monday 2nd of May. The survey started at 15 minutes before sunset (20:41hrs) and ended 2 hours after sunset. The weather was dry and overcast but the site is exposed and with an uncommonly calm 2mph wind. The dawn survey was undertaken on the 25th of May in a period of mild and calm weather. The start temperature was 9.4°C and the end temperature was 10.2°C with no wind and a clear sky. Sunrise 05:11hrs. The survey started 2 hours before sunrise and continued for 15 minutes past sunrise. The site was cool but bats were still active. Endoscopes, high powered torches, a thermal imaging camera and close-focussing monoculars were used when necessary to aid the surveyor’s assessment. A Pair of Elekon bat scanner detectors were used to detect and measure activity. 4 Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com Location of Property and Description (Characteristics) Grid Reference: SN 25051 32971 The period property (south east facing) is of stone construction with a slate roof. The exterior of the building is in a good condition over all with well-sealed roof and tightly sealed concrete verges. The property is located in a rural area with open green-spaces, improved and semi improved pasture as well as mature trees and hedgerows nearby. The property has been well maintained due to the exposed nature of the site. Any weaknesses in the building would be quickly exploited by the elements so the owners are very keen on property maintenance. Figure 1: Aerial view of Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach (from Bing® Maps). Results The preliminary roost visit (Scoping Survey) was used to identify all potential access and egress points for bats in the buildings and identify crevices and possible dwelling places; no droppings or other signs were found. Externally the building was in good condition with no potential bat access points. No signs of bat activity were discovered. The building was classified as having low potential. A pre-survey search revealed that the building sits in a rural area surrounded by open countryside; approximately ½ a mile to the south east of the property runs the river Pedran. There are a number of other small streams in the area. There are a number of small woodlands and hedgerows around the area ideal habitats for foraging and commuting bats. During the activity survey a few Common and Soprano pipistelles were heard and seen flying around the area especially in the lane leading to the property. A few bats were seen flying around in the yard behind the property itself. (Shown by the blue arrows) 5 Pen y Bryn, Clydau, Llanfyrnach, Pembrokeshire. SA35 0AH I&G Ecological Consulting IandGecology.com Discussion No signs of any bat activity were found in or around the house or sheds. Whilst the presence of bats can never be ruled out altogether there is no evidence to suggest bats are likely to be present. 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). Conclusion The buildings had no signs of any bat activity. There were no bat droppings, scratches, feeding signs nor were there any stains, smells or actual bats seen. This suggests that presently the home may be of little interest to bats therefore there is no reason why the development should not proceed as planned. Pipistrelles were seen and heard on survey and appeared to utilise the wooden lane to the front of the property.