Project example
Fallapit House, Devon - an example of succesful bat mitigation
Conversion of historic building to holiday dwellings
Client: Fallapit House Limited
Contract value: £25,000
Key Services: baseline bat survey; protected species licensing; mitigation & monitoring
External view of one of eight specially fitted 600x300mm horseshoe bat entrance 'slots' fitted in the roof of Fallapit House
Grilled entrance to a pipe leading to the retained cellar under the main house. This is used by greater and lesser horseshoe bats during spring and autumn, and in winter for hibernation.
Fallapit House is a Grade II listed Devon mansion, dating from 1815, which had been subject to unsympathetic extension in the 1970s and was derelict at the time of our baseline survey.
Development proposals involved demolition of a number of modern extensions, an internal strip and re-roofing of the original house and creation of new duplex apartments. AMA acted as the liaison between the developer and Natural England and succeeded in negociating mitigation details which were implemented under the aegis of a European Protected Species licence.
Surveys showed at least six bat species using the house, including national rarities greater and lesser horseshoe. Roosts were present in all roof voids, on all floors and in the cellars, which presented a real challenge to the developer, who wished to develop the site as high quality holiday homes.
Mitigation included:
- 8 specially-designed large access 'slots' into the main house roof and new units, each being 400mm x 600mm in size
- Baffles adjacent to these slots to minimise weather ingress, stabilise internal roof temperatures and reduce light spill
- Fitting roost heaters for horseshoe and long-eared bats
- Installing re-settable fire hatches between apartments to ensure bats can continue to use the entire main house roof
Monitoring has shown the project to be a great success thus far; with several species having returned at higher than pre-works levels, inlcuding a breeding roost of long eared bats, as well as greater and letsser horseshoe bats.