Bat surveys for planning

Bat surveys for planning applications

If your project changes a roof, a loft, an older building or a mature tree, your council may ask for a bat survey before it decides your planning application. Here's which survey you need, when it can be done and what it typically costs. We can also introduce you to one vetted, licensed bat ecologist who covers your site.

Get a bat survey quote Find your city

Beatrice Vasey is not a bat ecologist. We introduce you to one vetted, licensed ecologist and are paid a referral fee by that business.

When you need a bat survey

Bats and their roosts are protected by law, even when no bats are there at the time. Councils therefore ask for a survey when a project could affect a roost, typically for:

Loft conversions, roof replacements and extensions that alter the roof
Demolition of houses, outbuildings or commercial buildings
Barn and agricultural building conversions
Felling or major work on mature trees with cracks, holes or loose bark
Development close to woodland, rivers, canals or ponds
A request in your council's validation checklist or from its ecologist

Types of bat survey

Most projects start with a preliminary roost assessment. Further surveys are only needed if it finds bats or features they could use. On larger or greenfield sites, bats are usually covered first by a preliminary ecological appraisal, which checks for other protected species too.

Survey	What it involves	When it can be done	Typical cost
Preliminary roost assessment (PRA)	A daytime inspection of the building or trees for bats, droppings and features bats could roost in. It decides whether further surveys are needed.	Any time of year	£400 to £600
Emergence surveys	Surveyors watch the building from dusk with bat detectors to see whether bats leave it. One to three visits at least three weeks apart, depending on how suitable the PRA found the building.	May to September	£800 to £1,000 per survey
Bat activity surveys	Walked routes and static detectors across a larger site to record how bats use it for feeding and commuting.	April to October	Quoted per site
Hibernation surveys	Checks of cool, stable places such as cellars, tunnels and some trees for hibernating bats.	November to March	Quoted per site

Typical UK prices from Checkatrade's bat survey cost guide, last updated November 2024. Your ecologist quotes for your site.

Plan around the survey season

Emergence surveys can only be done from May to September, when bats are active. If a preliminary roost assessment in the autumn finds roosting potential, the follow-up surveys may have to wait until the next May, which can hold up a planning application for months. Booking the assessment early in the year keeps the whole sequence inside one season.

If bats are found

Work that would affect a roost needs a licence: from Natural England in England, NatureScot in Scotland or Natural Resources Wales in Wales. Your ecologist designs the mitigation, such as new roost spaces or timing works around the bats, and applies for the licence once planning permission is granted.

How the introduction works

Tell us about the site and the survey you think you need, using the form below.
We email you the name of one vetted, licensed bat ecologist who covers your site, then pass your enquiry to them. Your details go to one business only.
They quote you directly and carry out the survey.

We are paid a referral fee by the ecologist. If you'd only like advice, leave the consent box unticked and Beatrice will reply herself.

Bat surveys by city

Each city page covers the local council, who issues bat licences there, where ecologists get local bat records, and the local bat group.

Questions about bat surveys

Do I need a bat survey for a loft conversion?

Often, yes. Loft conversions, dormers and new roofs disturb the spaces bats roost in, so many councils ask for at least a preliminary roost assessment before they will validate the application. Check your council's validation checklist, or ask the ecologist we introduce you to.

Can a bat survey be done in winter?

A preliminary roost assessment can be done at any time of year, and hibernation surveys run from November to March. Emergence surveys can't: they only run from May to September, when bats are active.

What happens if the survey finds bats?

It doesn't usually stop a project. Your ecologist designs mitigation, such as replacement roost spaces or timing the work around the bats, and applies for a licence once you have planning permission.

Is Beatrice Vasey a bat ecologist?

No. Beatrice is a horticulturist and botanical surveyor. For bat surveys we introduce you to one vetted, licensed bat ecologist who covers your site, and we are paid a referral fee by that business.

Get a bat survey quote

Tell us where the site is and what's planned. Beatrice reads every enquiry.

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