Ecologist's alert on welfare of bats as property firm secures planning green light for aparthotels project

 

Are there bats roosting in roof space of two Cleethorpes properties?

THE owners of two empty houses on Isaacs Hill in Cleethorpes have been warned they must not disturb any roosting bats before they set to work on converting the properties to aparthotels.

At this month's meeting of North East Lincolnshire Council's planning committee, members backed the recommendation of senior case officer Bethany Loring that consent for a revamp  of numbers 49 and 51 should be granted to applicants James and Natalie D'Souza of Stoke-based Robertson Properties Ltd.

But the approval notice is accompanied by a reminder on the welfare of bats which are declining in the borough, partly through a decline in the flying insects on which they feed and partly because of building  disturbance.

A note from NELC's ecology officer, Rachel Graham, states: "There should be vigilance for roosting bats because they frequent roof cavities.

"Bats can use 20mm gaps for access and will roost in any crevices, including soffits and facias, cladding, window frames, hanging tiles and loft spaces - and this list is not exhaustive

"If a roosting bat is discovered during works, all work must stop immediately, a suitably qualified ecologist contacted and the council's planning department informed."

Causing disturbance to bats is a criminal offence.