Plans approved for tower to protect rare bat species

Bruce Sinclair, Local Democracy Reporter

Plans for a special tower to help protect a Welsh bat species in decline have been given the go-ahead.

In an application to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, Jenny Surname O’Neill of Vincent Wildlife Trust sought permission for a five-metre-high bat roost tower structure at Llwyngoras, Felindre Farchog.

A supporting statement said: “The building will be used exclusively for wildlife conservation as a dedicated roosting site for bats. It will not serve any other function, and access will be strictly controlled, as disturbing bats is an offence under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended).

“Historically, a maternity roost for lesser horseshoe bats was present within one of the farm buildings on the wider site, notable as the only known maternity roost in North Pembrokeshire. However, numbers at the roost have declined in recent years.

“Greater horseshoe bats have also been recorded at the site over several years and concerns have been raised that interactions between the two species within a roost can negatively affect lesser horseshoe bat colonies, including roost abandonment and cessation of breeding. The decline in lesser horseshoe bat numbers may partly result from greater horseshoe bats discouraging their use of other onsite buildings.

“The proposed new structure is intended to provide an additional nearby roost option for lesser horseshoe bats. The sole purpose of the proposed development is to support local bat populations.”

It added: “The proposed bat roost structure forms part of a Wales-wide project, Landscape for Lessers, delivered by Vincent Wildlife Trust. The project is funded through the Nature Networks Programme, administered by the Heritage Fund on behalf of the Welsh Government and in partnership with Natural Resources Wales.

“The project aims to secure the future of Wales’s nationally significant population of lesser horseshoe bats by enhancing existing protected sites and building bespoke bat roosts in areas where the species is in decline, range-restricted, impacted by anthropogenic threats or impacted by the presence of other species invading their roosts.

“This project aims to take a strategic approach to facilitate the recovery of LHB populations across Wales. We will build roost structures in critical lesser horseshoe habitats, linking the network of protected sites and providing stepping stones in the landscape, allowing the species to recolonise their former range.”

The application was conditionally approved by park planners.