The Building Conservation Directory 2022

PROTECT ION & REMEDIAL TREATMENT 4.1 139 C AT H E D R A L C O MM U N I C AT I O N S T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 2 2 architects and heritage buildings professionals, we will establish a range of best practice and potential solutions that can be applied to churches around the country and potentially, to other historic buildings. Organisations in other UK regions to contact with queries related to bats include Scottish Natural Heritage, Natural Resources Wales and the Northern Ireland Environment Agency*. Bat populations suffered significant declines in the UK over the past century and are still under threat from building work and development that affects their roosts and habitats. This habitat loss extends to connecting corridors that act as ‘commuting’ routes for bats, enabling them to forage for food. Domestic cats, wind turbines, chemical pesticides and even lighting have also played their part in affecting bat populations. As a result, bats are now a protected species and they, and their roosts, cannot be interfered with by law. It’s illegal to kill, injure or disturb bats, or to obstruct, damage or destroy their roosts, whether or not they are using the roost at the time. Building works therefore must be organised to avoid committing any of these offences, and it’s surprising how many seemingly minor or unrelated works can adversely affect bats. Even temporary buildings, changes to security lighting or car park works can have an impact. If in doubt, a great place to start is the National Bat Helpline*, which is part-funded by Natural England to provide free advice for places of worship and dwellings with bats. It’s important to remember that having bats doesn’t necessarily mean works can’t go ahead, but they do need to be taken into account. Where possible, all building and maintenance works should avoid the loss of any current bat roost whether it is in use at the time of working or not. If this isn’t possible, works must be carried out under a bat mitigation licence and incorporate plans to accommodate bats within the new or converted building. Obtaining a licence can take up to two months and requires a bat survey report, so for this reason, and other reasons outlined below, the most sensible course of action is to begin any planned building works project with a bat survey whether or not bats are known to be present. Many church buildings professionals will shudder at the mention of bats, not out of any vendetta against the creatures themselves but out of a fear of costly ecological surveys and potential roadblocks to capital works. In our experience the cost of an ecological survey is nowhere near as prohibitive as the cost of essential works being halted midway because bats have been discovered, or even potential legal action because bats have been disturbed. Historic England, one of the Bats in Churches partner organisations, advises starting with the assumption that bats are present either in the building or the surrounding area, unless you’ve had a survey within the past two years that has confirmed no bats are present. We’d advise calling the National Bat Helpline* as a first port of call. In some cases works may be eligible for a free visit from a Volunteer Bat Roost Visitor which could potentially avoid the need to pay a consultant. It’s not just large-scale capital works that require licences either. Seemingly minor maintenance work such as repairing or re-painting roofs, doors and windows could affect bat roosts, as could works to walls and underground spaces and treatment of timber. Adding the cost of an ecological survey to capital works grant applications or fundraising targets at the very beginning means that the project won’t come under threat if bats are discovered, because the additional expense has already been factored in. In certain circumstances it may be possible to carry out works under a ‘class licence’ (such as the Bats in Churches Class Licence) which allows a bat consultant registered with Natural England to directly manage ongoing work with low or temporary impact on bats. This can be a considerably easier and less costly administrative process than submitting a full licence application pack for each and every activity that might affect bats. For most church communities, finding ways to separate the bats from the areas most used by people, or from historic monuments and artefacts, is generally the best solution to the cleaning burden and general disturbance created by bats, and this can be achieved in a number of ways. Conversations between the ecologist, the architect or buildings professional and the church are really important to make sure everybody has a chance to have their say, and that all perspectives are taken into account. This includes the perspective of the church, as rural churches with bats often have ageing congregations and elderly churchwardens, and the physical burden of cleaning can become unmanageable. The bats are protected by law, but solutions that focus only on bats at the expense of people won’t be sustainable in the long- term. And the heritage of the church is vital and this, along with any significant monuments or artefacts in the church, also needs to be discussed and considered. TYPICAL SOLUTIONS The Bats in Churches project has worked with several churches to install a false ceiling, sympathetically designed alongside the church architect and other professionals to be aesthetically appealing as well as serving the purpose of separating bats from the congregation. In some cases, such as St Lawrence at Radstone, the ceiling has noticeably lightened and brightened up the interior of the church, improving both its appearance and its use. The bats are free to roost above the ’ceiling’ and come and go via access points, while the people of the church are able to go about their business below without a hefty burden of droppings and urine to clear up. Other projects centre around offering the bats an alternative space that is less disruptive. One project church in Norfolk has created a bespoke bat space in the tower, complete with handmade bat boxes, to encourage its small but very Bat droppings at St Andrew’s, Holcombe, Somerset