Vandalised buildings at former theme park were too unsafe for bat-surveyors to enter says eco-report

Numerous bat roosting opportunities said to exist in doomed theme park buildings

SURVEYS of  bat populations at the former Pleasure Island theme park could only be carried out partially because many of the buildings which house the creatures were too unsafe for humans to enter.

According to a report, the structures had been impacted by vandalism in 2020 - even more so when the surveyors returned last summer.

In some cases, the bats may have been smoked out of their roosts by fire.

As a result, the ecologists were confined to monitoring - either in person or with gadgetry - the creatures as they emerged from the buildings at dusk or foraging for flying insects as darkness deepened.

Species recorded included:

* Brown Long-eared

* Common Pipistrelle 

* Daubenton's 

* Nathusius' Pipistrelle 

* Noctule 

* Soprano Pipistrelle 

There was also a record of another bat which was unidentified.

The report says: "Numerous bat roosting opportunities are present within the site, both within the 23 former theme park buildings and the more mature trees, particularly those present on the southern boundary." 

Agents for the Lidl-led consortium seeking to redevelop the site claim that alternative habitats can be provided if, as intended, the buildings are demolished and the trees felled.

However, they will need to provide  reassurances not just to North East Lincolnshire Council planners but also to Natural England, the organisation which oversees the issue of licences when it comes to bat welfare.