Preliminary Roost Assessments
If you’re planning a new development, barn conversion or even a simple home extension, your local planning authority might not consider your planning application without a bat survey.
Changes to UK law and the introduction of new species regulations supported UK bat species after a steady decline over many years. In most cases, a preliminary roost assessment (PRA) is the exact solution you need to get your planning project moving.
Whether you’re a property developer or a homeowner, we help you identify if the protected species is present so the planning process can continue and you can secure planning permission without any unexpected surprises.
As long as you follow the advice given to you by our experts, we can guarantee planning or your money back.
What is a Preliminary Roost Assessment?
Also sometimes known as a bat scoping survey or simply as a stage 1 bat survey or phase 1 bat survey, a preliminary roost assessment (PRA) is the initial survey of a development site for bats.
A PRA is a detailed inspection of a building or structure to look for evidence of bats or potential roosting features. While signs of bat presence could be bat droppings, urine stains or feeding remains, a building’s suitability for roosting bats could be potential access points, gaps in fascias, soffits and hanging tiles or cracks in weather-boarding.
If bats are found, a bat emergence and re-entry survey (BERS) will be needed. Otherwise known as a bat activity survey, a bat emergence survey can only be carried out at certain times of the year.
Unlike the phase 2 or stage 2 bat survey and many other protected species surveys, a PRA can be conducted all year round, but only during daylight hours.
When Would Someone Need a Preliminary Roost Assessment?
It is likely that you will need a bat survey if your development project involves:
- Converting Old Buildings
- Demolishing Old Buildings
- Modifying Roof Spaces
- Removing Roof Tiles
- Rural Areas
- Tree Works on Old Trees
It could also be the case that an earlier ecological survey called for a preliminary roost assessment as a precaution to support roosting bats, such as a preliminary ecological appraisal (PEA) or an ecological impact assessment (EcIA).
Bats are legally protected, meaning that the local council must ensure that your plans won’t harm them or obstruct access to existing roots.
A PRA report gives the local authorities trustworthy proof that the steps and recommendations from the ecological consultant map out the best way to continue the plans safely.
Preliminary Roost Assessment Guidelines
It’s important that your report is accepted by the local council, granting your planning consent and enabling your development to continue.
For that to happen, we need to follow the best practice guidelines of relevant organisations and regulators, particularly the Bat Conservation Trust (BCT).
Other bodies include Natural England and Natural Resources Wales, and bats are also protected under Section 9 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and Schedule II of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.
Alongside other listed protected species, laws prevent anyone from taking actions that could deliberately disturb, injure, capture or kill bats, as well as destroy, damage or obstruct access to bat roosts.
By following the latest conditions and instructions, we can provide as much information as possible to satisfy the planning department you’re working with.
Steps in a Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment
The bat survey process consists of the following stages:
Desk Study
Performing a desk study before the in-person survey visit.
An ecological consultant will check the surrounding area for existing roosts and habitat records to see if any bat species are known to be nearby.
External Inspection
Walking the perimeter of the development site to find potential access points where roosting bats might enter.
Internal Inspection
Performing a detailed analysis of rooms within the building, with a focus on loft spaces.
High-powered torches and endoscopes will be used to record bat presence and find evidence of bats.
Suitability Category
Assigning a suitability category to work out the likelihood of bats occupying the site, now or in the future.
Categories range from negligible suitability to high suitability, and the outcome decides if further surveys are needed.
Preliminary Roost Assessment Report
After the initial assessment of the site, a bat survey report will be created.
The PRA report is specifically designed to support planning applications by detailing our findings and the potential effects of your planning project on any present bats or roosts.
If the inspection confirms or suspects the presence of bats at any level, the report will outline necessary mitigation measures, such as the installation of bat boxes.
The planning project could also impact a bat roost, and if it does, we can help you apply for a bat mitigation class licence. A European Protected Species Licence (EPSL) can be obtained from Natural England or Natural Resources Wales, with the use of a bat licence being a common asset after a PRA.
Every possible issue will be considered, and with that, the bat report will be able to request that the local planning authority grant planning permission.
Book a Preliminary Roost Assessment with Arbtech
The team at Arbtech specialise in providing bat surveys that get results.
We know that the planning process can be frustrating, so we cut through the fluff to give you the facts.
Our experienced ecologists work quickly and effectively to ensure that your planning consent isn’t held up by red tape or unexpected obstacles.
For clients in cities, the countryside or any other areas across the country, we can help with the next steps to keep developments moving forward.
Preliminary Roost Assessment Cost
As all development proposals are different, we offer a bespoke price for each client. With that, we can eliminate any unfairness that would come from a client paying the same for a large site as they would for a small one.
Instead, the bat scoping survey cost starts at a baseline price of £399+VAT, and it only goes higher if the specific site needs more time or surveyors for the assessment to be completed.
The baseline cost includes everything, such as travel expenses, the entire PRA survey process and your completed bat survey report. Using this approach, all costs are subsidised, we don’t charge mileage, and you’re given a transparent quote before we start.
Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment Near Me
With professional ecologists all over the UK, we can assist any client, on any site, anywhere.
Under our guidance, you can get your planning project to the next stage and show consideration to protect bats and other protected species.
As the best ecological consultancy in the country, we offer the most effective way to get a fast and local survey.
If you’re ready to start, you can get a free quote for a preliminary roost assessment survey on your site by completing a quote form on our website, calling our team at head office or sending us an email. We can then give you an accurate quotation based on your details, and if you’re happy with it, book you in for a PRA at the next available opportunity.
