STOP!

Your Contractor Found a Bat Roost or other signs of bats on your property.

All bats, bat roosts, and bat habitats are protected under UK law. To ensure you remain compliant with the law, you may need additional surveys before you recommence work.

What do you need to do next?

Your contractor has alerted you to the possible presence of bats on your property. That doesn’t mean the end of your project, just that in order to continue safely and legally you may need additional surveys.

If you disturb, damage, or destroy bats or their roosts you could be liable for fines of up to £5,000 per animal.

Your best next step is to contact a bat specialist ecologist (like us!) who can help you complete your project and stay compliant with the law. The sooner you get in touch, the sooner you will know exactly what you need to do to restart your project!

Or you can read more about urban or rural bat surveys before you contact us for a no obligation quote!

What Our Clients Say

  • Having worked with David Dodds Associates for a number of years, the service received is excellent and always provides expert ecological advice.

    • Lynne McNeely, Carneil Homes Ltd, Kinross

  • “Montgomery Forgan Associates has worked with David for many years on planning projects for mutual clients. David's work is first class, always delivered on time and is keenly priced. David has a wealth of knowledge on all ecological matters, with a highly valued specialism in bat surveys. Montgomery Forgan Associates would have no hesitation in recommending David to its clients.”

    • David Queripel, Montgomery Forgan Associates, Cupar

  • “We have found David Dodds very helpful in providing us with bat surveys and mitigation proposals.”

    • Niall Braidwood, Ogilvy Chalmers, Haddington

  • “Thank you for your help in doing the survey, and the speed of your response. Charlotte seemed very knowledgable. She was very helpful and happy to respond to our questions! Your report gave us all the answers we needed.”

    • Chris Gunstone, Tyninghame Village Hall Committee, East Lothian

  • “We have worked with David and his team in many projects and he is a real expert in the field. From enquiry, to survey, to receiving the report, they are always professional and provide a high quality service.”

    • Arancha Arnal, Blyth and Bluth Consulting Engineers, Edinburgh

  • “Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) has used David Dodds Associates and their services for projects that required their extensive and specialist expertise. David has not only assisted in a prompt and professional manner he also provided a welcomed insight into the world of bat protection, articulating how best to approach situations to ensure SRUC deliver projects whilst the species, environment and landscape remain protected.”

    • Leeanne Price, S.R.U.C., Penicuik

  • “David has routinely provided timely, proactive and helpful advice to assist and enable building fabric projects to progress in a compliant manner and remains my first point of contact for any ecological requirements”.

    • Craig Mattocks, Cademuir Building Consultants, Peebles

Read our latest blogs…

Featured
Bat surveys and planning for new developments
Bat surveys and planning for new developments
Successful bat mitigation for the Landmark Trust
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 technology helps us understand bats
How technology helps us understand bats

Bats can be hard to see, hard to hear, and hard to tell apart. We use a range of tech on every survey we do, and plenty more has been used to inform how we do bat surveys and the steps we take to help you when there’s a bat roost on your property.