Itford Farm
Bat scoping survey in the form of loft searches in a Sussex Farm House.
Synopsis
NWC were called out to a Sussex Farm House built in the 1500’s, prior to its conversion into a youth hostel. Historical evidence suggested the Farm House and Flint Barn may still contain bat roosts. Two senior ecologists carried out a bat scoping survey in the form of loft searches, with the following result:
- Recent bat droppings were found in the Farm House loft
- Recent bat droppings and insect remains were found in the Flint Barn
Evidence suggested that bat roosts were present in both buildings and therefore a DEFRA licence would be essential prior to the start of the conversion. To gather sufficient data for the licence application, NWC carried out 3 nights of bat emergence surveys on each of the buildings, to see if/where bats were emerging from and, if they were, which species. The bat survey had the following results:
- No bats were identified as using the Farm House
- Two species of bats (Natterer’s and Brown Long Eared) were found to be roosting in the Flint Barn on site
Using this new data, NWC applied for a DEFRA licence. When this was granted, the following actions were taken:
- A large bat box was erected on a tree adjacent to the Farm House to enhance the site’s potential for bats and provide roosting space for bats dislodged by the roof strip; the roof of the Farm House was hand stripped of tiles under the supervision of an ecologist, to check for roosting bats. Only very old, mummified bats were found inside the roof
- The roof was left open for 24 hours to allow any hidden bats to exit
- The replacement roof incorporated bat access ridge tiles, to allow future use of the Farm House loft by roosting bats
- The Flint Barn roof was stripped in the same way, with the replacement roof being enhanced for bats by creating niches for roost spaces
Following the roof strip, the site was ‘signed off’ by NWC. The site has been left with a higher potential for supporting bats than it had before the work was done, as the large bat box has been left in place and the new roofs are designed to accommodate bats. One night’s bat monitoring survey will be carried out for each of the next two years, in accordance with the DEFRA licence specifications.
Timeframe
After the bat scoping survey in June 2006, the client’s instruction to commence DEFRA data surveys was received in July 2007. The roof strip was performed in October 2007, and the site was signed off.
Costs
The bat scoping survey, DEFRA licence application, emergence surveys, roof strips were completed on time and were delivered and within budget.
