Bat surveys in Cornwall

When planning applications in Cornwall need a bat survey

Planning decisions

Planning applications in Cornwall are decided by Cornwall Council.

When the council asks for a survey

Cornwall's householder ecology trigger list requires a protected species survey with a bat roost assessment for works to traditional barns, thatched buildings, pre-1914 gabled or slate-roofed buildings, and older buildings near woodland or water. (Cornwall Council, Ecology Trigger List (Householder Applications), version 1.6)

Bat licences

Licences for work affecting a roost are issued by Natural England.

The law

Bats and their roosts in England are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, even when no bats are present.

Local bat records

Ecologists check which bats have been recorded near your site with a data search from Environmental Records Centre for Cornwall and the Isles of Scilly (ERCCIS), the local environmental records centre.

Local bat group

Cornwall Bat Group is the local volunteer group that records bats in the area.

Bats recorded in Cornwall

Cornwall Wildlife Trust says Cornwall and Devon together have 12 resident breeding bat species; greater and lesser horseshoe bats rely on old buildings, including derelict farm buildings and abandoned mines, for roosts.

Species named in the source

• greater horseshoe bat
• lesser horseshoe bat
• pipistrelle
• daubenton's bat
• noctule
• brown long-eared bat
• whiskered bat
• natterer's bat

The Bat Conservation Trust notes that many Cornish bat species, including the rare horseshoe bats, roost underground in the county's old mine workings, which Cornwall Bat Group volunteers count each winter.

Bats follow dark, sheltered routes such as rivers, canals, hedgerows and tree lines to feed and move between roosts. In Cornwall, the River Tamar, the River Fal and the River Camel are the kind of places bats feed and travel through, so older buildings and mature trees nearby are more likely to need follow-up surveys after a preliminary roost assessment.

Preliminary roost assessments, emergence surveys and costs

Most projects in Cornwall start with a preliminary roost assessment. On larger or greenfield sites, bats are usually covered first by a preliminary ecological appraisal, which checks for other protected species too. If the assessment finds potential roost features or evidence of bats, bat emergence surveys follow, with surveyors using bat detectors to watch the building at dusk. They only run between May and September, so book the assessment early in the year to keep any follow-up surveys inside one season.

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

If bats are found: mitigation and licences

Finding roosting bats rarely stops a project in Cornwall. Your ecologist sets out mitigation in the survey report, such as bat boxes or replacement roost spaces and timing works around the bats, and once planning permission is granted applies to Natural England for a European protected species licence. Lower-impact cases can use Natural England's bat mitigation class licence instead, through an ecologist registered to it.

Your bat ecologist in Cornwall

We pass each Cornwall enquiry to one vetted ecologist who covers your site, holds the licences Natural England requires and carries professional indemnity insurance. You get an email naming them before your details are shared, and they quote you directly. We are paid a referral fee by that business, as set out in how our partner network works.

We also arrange bat surveys in Exeter, Cardiff and Dorset.