The Bat Man….. and Robyn: Part 3 of Liz Hutton's journey to restore a derelict chapel in Wales

Progress has been a little frustratingly slow as we work through the planning process. As part of a pre-planning application, it’s sensible to deal with any environmental and ecological concerns as far as possible which of course will differ according to the area of the country you’re in. In particular, for Bannau Brycheiniog National Park it’s important to consider the wildlife and what protections and considerations need to be made for their wellbeing. Bats, and any place they use for breeding or shelter (whether currently occupied or not) are protected under British Law predominantly by The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017. This law makes it an offence to, deliberately capture, disturb a bat or damage their breeding sites. 

There are severe penalties for non-compliance. Enter the Bat Man (who has clearly heard every joke we tried in this regard), who has advised us, amongst other things, that bats are unable to build roosts themselves but instead rely on both man made and naturally occurring features to provide suitable accommodation. Bats generally prefer older buildings built with traditional materials, as traditional building methods provide more opportunities for gaps and entrances to buildings. Our bat survey, unsurprisingly found parts of our derelict building had been something of a holiday camp for our little bat friends. The guidelines given are extensive and we will be incorporating specific designs into the roof a well as a bat box and careful lighting requirements that form part of the mitigation strategy. From a practical point of view, once planning permission is approved, we will need to apply for the appropriate licence (which can take around 40 working days) from Natural Resources Wales, to undertake the development works. This ecological survey has enabled us to move forwards with the planning application and the results of the same are expected in mid-October.

No good Bat Man story would be complete without Robyn and it would be remiss of me not to mention the significant contribution of my wonderful legal assistant Robyn White. As well as looking after my work life and putting up with endless Chapel chatter, Robyn is taking on her own CILEX qualification in her free time. This is a serious undertaking in addition to a full time job and she manages both with the grace and charm that keeps this whole operation moving. I’m thrilled she’s just passed another module this summer and is well on her way to finalising the course. 

If you would like to follow along, please do so on Instagram @crickhowellchapel

Read parts one and two of my journey.