Teesside Case Study: Large-Scale Bat Mitigation & Licensing
Delivering pragmatic bat surveys and Low Impact Class Licences for a large social housing maintenance programme ensuring full legal compliance.
E3 Ecology.
Pragmatic bat mitigation for housing schemes.
E3 Ecology were instructed in December 2023 to undertake a Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment (PBRA) for a large social housing maintenance programme in Teesside.
The project involved roofing and roofline replacement and maintenance works to approximately 230 residential properties, requiring a pragmatic ecological approach to avoid unnecessary delays while ensuring full legal compliance.
Interim Reports
External assessments of the properties were completed between December 2023 and January 2024. Where properties were initially assessed as having low suitability for roosting bats, internal inspections were undertaken later in January 2024 to further assess potential roosting features for bats (e.g. to confirm if features lead into loft spaces) or search for internal field signs of bats. To minimise disruption to the wider programme of works, E3 Ecology provided an interim report clearly identifying which properties could proceed immediately, and which could be undertaken in accordance with a Precautionary Working Method Statement for bats.
For a small number of properties (approximately 10% of the properties, demonstrating a proportionate and risk-based approach to bat surveying on large housing schemes) that continued to be assessed as low suitability following internal inspection, bat presence/absence surveys were recommended and subsequently undertaken in May/June 2024.
Enabling Progress
As a result, works to the majority of properties were able to proceed from June 2024 onwards without further survey input, but under the project’s Precautionary Working Method Statement.
Four properties were confirmed to support common pipistrelle bat day roosts. To ensure works could continue lawfully and without delay, E3 Ecology assisted the client in obtaining Low Impact Class Licences (LICLs) from Natural England, with licences granted in September 2024 and March 2025 to suit programme requirements.
Prior to works commencing at each of the four licenced properties, bat boxes were installed on the buildings to provide alternative roosting opportunities during construction. E3 Ecology then provided an Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) and delivered pre-start toolbox talks and supervision for contractors, ensuring the sensitive dismantling of roost locations and other high-risk features of the buildings under ecological supervision.
The systematic and pragmatic approach E3 Ecology implemented enabled a complex housing maintenance programme to proceed whilst reducing disruption and ensured all properties with bat roosts were addressed in accordance with UK wildlife legislation and Natural England licensing requirements.
How Can E3 Ecology Help?
f you think E3 Ecology can help with your social housing maintenance project, or other licensed ecological works, please get in touch to discuss your requirements.