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Registered Charity No 443
Report date: 01/07/23 Author(s): Kevin Wells Prepared for: Samson Designs Limited The Workshop Park Road Port St. Mary, Isle of Man IM9 5HQ
Ref:- KPW-18/00529/GB
This report has been prepared following the Bat Conservation Trust’s guidelines contained in Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists: Good Practice Guidelines (3rd edition), 2016. The author holds a Bat License issued by DEFA in the Isle of Man
Contents
Manx Bat Group were engaged to carry out a bat survey for part of the works included in planning applications 18/00529/GB & 18.00530/CON The works within the applications are the installation of roof vents and Velux windows in 2 roofs to the eastern end of the building.
This report is in response to a request from Samson Designs Ltd. An initial site visit was undertaken by the author and Sam Samson from Samson Designs where the works to be undertaken that required a bat survey was discussed. The work being the installation of Velux windows and roof vents in the roofs indicated by arrows in the satellite image below. Due to the presence of possible roost features it was decided that at least one further emergence survey would be required.
The site is seen in the satellite image below. The cathedral has a slate roof on multiple levels. The 2 roofs in planning application have 2 slopes each, a steep upper slope and a shallower lower slope. The northern roof (blue arrow) is in good condition with close fitting slate in all but one top corner and has a potential gap where the flashing meets the wall of the main body of the cathedral and below the guttering. The southern facing roof is in a lot poorer condition with several raised slates with gaps underneath. There are also some missing and broken slates. Again, there are potential gaps under the flashing and near the guttering.
Southern Facing Roof
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The Manx Bat Group database has no records of bat roosts in the cathedral, but there are roosts in the nearby area.
A daylight inspection of the building was carried out on 18th May 2023. The building was inspected internally and externally in the area of the roofs where the Velux windows and roof vents are to be installed. The inspection was carried out with the aid of binoculars and a high powered torch where required.
An emergence survey was carried out on the evening of 8th June 2023 starting at 21:45 by 2 licensed bat workers. The weather was warm with a gentle breeze and little cloud cover.
Building inspection
Interior
The room beneath the northern side had a plastered ceiling under the slates in-between the roof joists. It was not possible to confirm if there was a gap between the plaster and the underside of the slates.
The room beneath the southern side roof was lined with wooden planks. It was not possible to tell the gap between the planks and the slates.
No evidence of bats was found in either of the 2 rooms
The north facing roof was in good condition with only a couple of gaps offering possible roost features. The south facing roof was in a poorer condition with several broken and missing slates and several raised slates providing gaps that were possible roosting features.
Both roofs also had potential access points at the base of the flashings and it was unclear if there were gaps below the guttering where the 2 different slopes of the roofs meet.
Emergence Survey
No bats are using the roofs for a roost, either for a maternity or permanent summer roost. It is the conclusion of the author and other licensed bat worker who carried out the emergence survey that the work could be carried out. When removing the slates, they should be removed by hand, and the workforce should be made aware that they should keep a constant check for any bats that may have taken up a temporary roost following the emergence survey. If any bat is discovered under a slate, the slate should be carefully replaced, work should stop immediately and DEFA should be contacted for further advice.
The findings and conclusions presented above are based strictly on the evidence available at the time of the investigation. It is not possible for this site to rule out completely the possible presence of bats at some time in the future. All bat species, and their roost sites, are protected under the Wildlife Act, 1990. In the event that bats are encountered during the course of demolition or development works, then work must stop immediately and the staff at DEFA must be contacted for advice before proceeding.
It should be noted that any bat related data gathered during the course of this survey will be held on a database by the Manx Bat Group and could ultimately be shared with our biodiversity partners in the Isle of Man and United Kingdom.
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