Plan Early for Bat Activity Surveys in 2025: Avoid Delays and Missed Windows
As we wrap up the 2024 bat survey season, it’s time to reflect on the challenges we faced this year and the lessons we’ve learned to help you plan more effectively in 2025. With increasing demand for bat surveys and new regulatory requirements, careful planning is more crucial than ever for ensuring your projects stay on track.
Here’s what you need to know to avoid delays and missed survey windows next year.
1. Plan Early to Secure Survey Slots
The key takeaway from this year is simple: plan early. Scheduling your Preliminary Bat Roost Assessments (PBRA) well in advance is essential for securing your place in the busy survey season. This proactive approach helps avoid the rush that inevitably happens later in the season when availability is tight.
2. Take Advantage of Year-Round PBRA Availability
A common misconception is that all bat surveys need to be carried out during peak season (May to August). In fact, PBRAs can be conducted year-round. This gives you the flexibility to get the ball rolling at any time of year, allowing you to book necessary activity surveys in advance and avoid the seasonal squeeze.
3. New 2023 Guidance: Night Vision Aids and Survey Timing
September 2023 saw the introduction of new guidance that requires the use of night vision aids (NVA) during bat activity surveys, along with a mandatory three-week gap between surveys. These new regulations added complexity to the process and made scheduling even more challenging this year.
4. High Demand in Peak Season Led to Missed Opportunities
In the latter months of the 2024 peak season, the demand for bat surveys surged. Despite the successful implementation of NVA equipment at Seasons Ecology, we faced the unfortunate reality of having to turn down some enquiries simply due to time constraints and equipment availability. Planning ahead is vital to securing your survey spot and avoiding disappointment.
5. Managing Client Expectations: Early Collaboration Brings Success
This season has highlighted the importance of early collaboration with clients to ensure timely bat surveys. When architects, planners, and developers proactively raise bat considerations in their initial discussions, it helps set clear expectations and avoids unnecessary delays. Projects where architects have flagged this early on often experience fewer delays and avoid the stress of scrambling to find ecologists at the last minute. By flagging the need for bat surveys early, these professionals enable their clients to secure an appropriately qualified ecologist in time, keeping projects on track and ensuring regulatory compliance.
It’s important to manage expectations from the outset—further surveys may well be required, especially if initial assessments identify roosting potential. These additional surveys are both seasonally constrained and in high demand, so the earlier you book, the better.
6. Don’t Wait for LPAs to Request Surveys
One critical point to remember is that Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) cannot condition bat surveys after a planning application has been submitted. This means that you need to address bat surveys early in your project timeline. Don’t wait for the LPA to flag potential issues—get ahead by booking your PBRA and any follow-up surveys as soon as possible.
7. Investing in Expertise for the Future
To meet rising demand and ensure smooth survey operations in the future, Seasons Ecology has doubled its team of licensed ecologists by investing in training. While this will help accommodate more projects next year, early engagement is still essential to ensure your surveys are completed on time.
Looking Ahead to 2025: Get in Touch
We’re committed to helping you plan your bat surveys effectively for the year ahead. By planning early, managing client expectations, and keeping in mind the year-round availability of PBRAs, you can avoid delays and ensure your project timeline stays intact.
To discuss your upcoming projects or schedule a PBRA, don’t hesitate to get in touch with our team today!
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