Criteria for Bat Surveys in the Planning Process

The Partnership for Biodiversity in Planning (which includes the Bat Conservation Trust) has created a simple tool for assessing which applications may require survey for a range of protected species

this can be found at https://www.biodiversityinplanning.org/wildlife-assessment-check/

This is the most up to date tool for determining whether or not a bat survey is required and we recommend its use. When completed, the output can be submitted as part of a planning application, along with any necessary survey reports, to demonstrate that protected species have been considered.

These criteria should cover the majority of scenarios, but bats are highly mobile animals and can turn up in unusual places. We believe this tool will aid planners in making initial decisions involving bats but they should not be used in isolation to rebut credible claims from the public that bats are roosting in structures that are the subject of planning applications.

Note that Surrey has a number of private estates designated as Special Low Density Areas which contain substantial detached properties surrounded by mature planting. These estates effectively constitute areas of houses within woodland, and there should therefore be a presumption in favour of surveys being undertaken in the majority of instances in which a property is being demolished and re-built.