What Other Consents and Licences Do You Need?
Planning permission is the most well known consent for many of us, but it’s far from the only approval you may need when developing or extending your property. We’re going to take a look at a few of the common consents and licences you may need and how they work together, focusing on Scottish legislation.
If you take one message from this, let it be this: Even with planning permission, you may need additional consents such as building warrants, listed building consents, or protected species licences. It is always worth finding out what you will need as early in project planning as possible!
How to Check Your Bat Surveyors Credentials
We are frequently asked to help our clients resolve problems caused by sub-standard bat surveys. Sadly, as with many industries, it can be tricky to establish the bona fides of someone marketing their bat surveying services. Our founder, David Dodds, has some advice for spotting potential red flags from ecologist and ecology companies, and what to look for instead…
Successful bat mitigation for the Landmark Trust
It is absolutely possible to balance conserving architecture with conserving bat populations. The Landmark Trust is reopening Saddell Castle in September 2025 following successful bat mitigation and a complete renovation of the property.
How do you get a licence for a bat roost?
You need a licence for your home renovation or development project. Here’s a quick look at the licensing process so you know what to expect.
Do Bats Stop Developments?
Bats are often seen as a potential roadblock for developments, demolitions, and renovations. Fortunately, this isn’t the case. With proper planning, and early consultations with a specialist ecologist, your project can proceed and stay compliant with UK law on bats.
What is a conditioned bat survey?
In 2006, the Scottish Executive issued a directive to local planning authorities, outlining the illegality of granting planning consent at sites requiring bat surveys before those surveys were completed. This led to a widespread halt in issuing such consents.
In recent years, there has been a noticeable shift, with local authorities increasingly issuing planning consents conditioned on the completion of bat surveys.
What will your bat survey find?
To help you prepare for your survey findings we’ve looked at our previous surveys at 133 sites, split into rural and urban/suburban locations. Let’s start by looking at the surveys you might need…
10 Ways to avoid bat survey problems in your development
We are often asked to help people who have found themselves in difficulties with planning or licensing their development, but the best way we can support you is making sure you don’t have problems from the beginning!