Bat Survey - Chapel, Skewen, Neath
Background
This large and beautiful chapel has been a staple of the community for over a century. Unfortunately, due to ongoing maintenance costs, it was recently put up on auction. The wonderful gentleman that purchased the property has big plans for revitalising this relic of a building with the hopes of eventually being able to open it back up to the community that has enjoyed it for so many years.
Preliminary Roost Assessment
The first step of bat surveys is always a Preliminary Roost Assessment. A PRA is used to assess how suitable a building may be for bats. It helps inform us what next steps may be necessary to complete a full bat report that is ready to be submitted to council.
While inspecting this chapel, we noticed various features that may be suitable for bats, such as gaps under soffits and gaps under roof slates where daylight could be seen shining through into the loft space. However, we found no evidence of bats during the inspection. We were able to thoroughly investigate every corner of a remarkable large loft space, and found no tell-tale bat droppings or urine staining.
Results
While we determined that the chapel had potential for roosting bats, we did not recommend any additional surveys. This is unusual in ecological circles - where there is potential for bats, further surveys tend to be deemed necessary. However, the nature of the proposed work for this property involved the ground level only, where all potential bat roosting features were located further up the building at the roof level. As such, the work was decidedly not going to have an impact on any features bats may be using.
In situations like this, we always do our due-diligence for bats that may be calling a property home, but also keep our clients in mind. Where further surveys are not necessary, we do not recommend them, which saves our clients time and money.
Are you in need of a bat survey for planning permission? Get in touch to see how we can help!
