Accommodating the Bats

We realised very early on, even before seeing the barns, that the Planning Department required us to be very accommodating to the wildlife, which we were prepared for. This applied very particularly to the bats.

The planning had already stipulated conditions for the wildlife, such as owl boxes, a 'bat hotel' in a large section of the loft, specific lighting, to name but a few requirements. However, even though we were accommodating all these, we still had to go through the process of doing all the ecology surveys - I know, very odd seeing as the planed addition of the bat loft, with accesses and roosts for all types of possible bat already mitigate every eventuality anyway, but that's what they need. Hours of night camera footage, regular site visits by our ecologist, 'bat training' for our builders, DNA analysis of poo and so forth - and all at an hourly rate too!

"We knew this was part of the deal" I keep reassuring Andrew, when he mutters insults at the bats, but by now even I'm beginning to feel that this is all rather crazy! So, the real reason we need all this done now is because we have to obtain a Bat Licence from Natural England to enable us to start doing any building work to the effected parts of the barns, which in effect is most of them. Finally this week the months of surveys, analysis and report writing are all done, and so we are at last able to submit our application for the highly prized licence. Everything will remain crossed for as long as the process now takes.

There are still some groundworks to do, including sorting drainage for the surface water as well as digging trenches for the services and if planning allows, for our ground source heat pump system. Our lovely builders will hopefully have work to keep them busy until we 'get' the licence. So January could be a fairly quiet month, but if the weather is anything like December has been, at least we can avoid making too much more mud on the site!

On a really positive note, we have found a new rental house less than a mile from the barns, so in January we won't be doing the beautiful but long 40 minute drive to get on site. Another move yes, but we can do it over a couple of weeks so hopefully it will be less stressful than the last one! I also hope it will mean by spring I can get my ponies out of livery and onto the land with the sheep ... perhaps even move in some hens! We really miss our home grown eggs...

SO, while we watch Sarah Beeny on TV copying all my ideas for small businesses, I wonder if anyone would pay us for a TV show? Now, there's a thought...