Westbury Sub Mendip Parish Council
Consultation Supplementary Response to 2014/0803/OTS
‘Land East of Bell Close’
Objection
Horseshoe Bats Assessment
Originator
Chairman
Parish Clerk:
Version:
Date:
Email:
Web
Westbury Sub Mendip Parish Council
Ros Wyke
Mark Smith
1.0
16th July 2014
parishclerk@westbury-sub-mendip.org.uk
www.westbury-sub-mendip.org.uk
Assessment of Horseshoe Bats habitat within Westbury Sub Mendip
The ‘Mendip Biodiversity Action Plan’ and ‘Mendip Bat Species Action Plan’ identifies Greater and
Lesser Horsehoe Bats as being present in the District, with a National Conservation Status of ‘Very
Rare and Endangered’ and ‘Rare and Endangered’ respectively.i Known roosts exist within the cave
systems at Wookey Hole, and in Cheddar Gorge Caves in neighbouring Sedgemoor District.
The warm southern flank of the Mendip Hills is the main foraging territory for the horseshoe batsii.
Horseshoe bats are known to forage in Cook’s Fields Nature Reserveiii, 900 metres north of the
2014/0803/OTS ‘Land East of Bell Close’ site. Horseshoe bats have also been detected by surveysiv at
Broadmead (Westbury) Quarry, near to Cook’s Fields (Quarry Manager Nigel Taylor). The Wookey
Hole caves roost site is 3 km east from Bell Close. The Cheddar Gorge caves roost site is 7 km west of
Bell Close.
The Applicant’s Ahern ‘Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey Report’ relies on data provided by the
Somerset Biodiversity Records Centre (SERC) which the report acknowledges is ‘not exhaustive’. The
presence of Greater Horseshoe bats in Cook’s Fields, less than a kilometre from the proposed site, is
not recorded in SERC, so is not included in the Ahern report’s 2 km radius desk based survey. The
report also identifies in section 2.4 ‘Limitations’ that the report details only remain valid for 12
months from 11th July 2013. No planning permission should be given until a full bat survey (between
the months of May and August) is undertaken.
Unlike some species of bats, horseshoe bats avoid artificial lighting (street lights, house lights), and
the “erection of artificial lighting within foraging regions or along flight lines can be damaging to the
foraging activities of both horseshoe species.”v The existing open countryside ‘green gap’ between
Westbury Sub Mendip village and the hamlet of Hollybrook provides a dark link between Cook’s
Fields and the Land East of Bell Close.
The Billington & Rawlinson study ‘A review of horseshoe bats flight lines and feeding areas’ includes
this assessment of key foraging distancesvi:
Key radial zones are:
1km
Lesser and greater horseshoe bats – it is vital to retain wooded areas and vegetation cover (including
scrub), and habitat links i.e. woodland, tree lines, hedgerows and possibly even limited sections of
walls and fences.
� All woodland and enclosed vegetation within a few hundred metres of virtually every roost is
likely to be important to the bats.
1-3km
Lesser and greater horseshoe bats – it is vital to maintain hedgerow systems, scrub, wetland or
marsh areas, and habitat links. Areas of thick hedgerows or scrub adjacent to cattle grazed pasture
are of the highest significance for greater horseshoe bats as hedgerows adjacent to semi improved
damp or wet ground are for lesser horseshoe bats.
� Virtually all areas containing extensive hedgerows (particularly higher overgrown ones), scrub
especially surrounding pasture and or wet ground will be important to the bats.
3-7km
Lesser horseshoe bats; this zone is only liable to be important for some of the larger colonies of a few
hundred bats the aim is to maintain habitat links through the areas.
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Greater horseshoe bats; areas with thick hedgerows around grazed pasture and pronounced habitat
links should be maintained, although not all areas will be used.
� Some areas of extensive hedgerows (particularly higher overgrown ones), scrub and wet
woodland - especially surrounding pasture and or wet ground, will be important to the bats.
7-10km
Lesser and greater horseshoe bats; only a small part of this area is likely to be used for foraging but
flight routes may lead further connecting to other roost sites. The aim should be to maintain habitat
links through the area.
� Some areas of extensive hedgerows (particularly higher overgrown ones), scrub and wet
woodland - especially surrounding pasture and or wet ground, will be important to the bats.
� Some of the most pronounced areas of extensive hedgerows (particularly higher overgrown
ones), scrub and wet woodland - especially surrounding pasture and or wet ground will be
important to the bats.
Before any major developments are allowed within 10km of any greater horseshoe roost or large
lesser horseshoe roost details studies should be made to consider potential impacts. Sustaining
existing hedges, and linear linkage systems within a radius of 10km from the roost will ensure
successful access to forage sites. There will be a number of important areas within 5km of any
horseshoe roost.
Note that the description of the 1-3 km foraging ground ’of the highest significance’ exactly
describes the character of the ‘Land East of Bell Close’, which is surrounded by trees and hedgerow,
has the green corridor of the Strawberry Line providing east west flight path links towards Cheddar
and Wookey Hole, is semi-improved pasture grazed by cattle, and has permanent surface water
available along the path of the old river bed, within the site, north of the railway embankment. The
old railway bridge in the south west of the site gives further roosting site possibilities. Local residents
confirm frequent sightings of bats flying over the Land East of Bell Close.
Given the proximity of the 2014/0803 ‘Land East of Bell Close’ to known roosting and foraging
grounds for horseshoe bats, and the extremely favourable environment it provides for these species,
development should not be permitted on this site.
i
Mendip Bat Species Action Plan, page 7
Countryside Council for Wales, Science Report 755, ‘A review of horseshoe bats flight lines and feeding areas’
G. Billington & M.D. Rawlinson, Sept 2006, Para 4.3 Topography
iii
Somerset Wildlife Trust website, Cooks Fields ‘Wildlife’ http://www.somersetwildlife.org/cooks_fields.html
iv
Verbally confirmed by Dave Cottle of the Somerset Bat Group, affiliated to the Bat Conservation Trust.
v
Countryside Council for Wales, Science Report 755, ‘A review of horseshoe bats flight lines and feeding areas’
G. Billington & M.D. Rawlinson, Para 4.5 Artificial Lighting
vi
Countryside Council for Wales, Science Report 755, ‘A review of horseshoe bats flight lines and feeding
areas’ G. Billington & M.D. Rawlinson, Sept 2006, Para 5 Discussion
ii
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