David Dodds Associates Ltd (DDAL)

We take into account the unique qualities of your property, the surrounding habitat, and other local roost records when determining the stage 2 survey effort required.

If you want to know for sure, reach out today for advice or a no obligation quote at admin@daviddoddsassociates.com.

If your property does or could contain bat roosts, then our specialists will determine the level of suitability and recommend stage 2 surveys for 1-3 nights, with 3 weeks at least between each survey.

If we find no evidence of bats and no structures that bats could roost in then you will not need any stage 2 surveys. You'll get a report from us and be able to carry on with obtaining your planning consent!

How do you know if you need a stage 2 (or bat activity) survey?

A stage 1 survey (or preliminary roost assessment) allows us to assess the potential for bats to be roosting in your property.

If you have a rural site and are planning a building or development project, the sooner you know if bats are present, the sooner we can make a plan.

#batsurveyscotland #batsurvey #scottishconstruction #scottishdevelopment #scottishhomeowner

And finally, 17% of rural sites required full licensing to proceed. This takes a bit longer, but allowed all of our rural sites to complete their projects.

41% of sites had a bat roost that could be handled quickly under our Bat Low Impact licence. For non-breeding roosts of our most common species, we can act extremely quickly. This only applies to Scotland, and it saves weeks for the most common findings of a survey.

18% had no bats confirmed from their activity surveys and could proceed as planned.

24% had no bats confirmed following a visual inspection and could proceed as planned without further surveys.

We are often asked “What will my bat surveys find?”, so we pooled together data from 3 years' of surveys to give you an idea.

This diagram is a breakdown of the results of our rural bat surveys...

If you've got a bat survey question, or think you might need surveys for you or a client, get in touch with us on admin@daviddoddsassociates.com. We're always happy to help!

▶ Stage 2 - These involve 1-3 visits to watch for bats leaving or entering your property. They take 2 hours per visit, and we use ultrasonic bat detectors and infra-red video to identify any bats seen and where their roost entrances are located.

▶ Stage 1 - This is a daylight search for evidence of bat roosts and structures bats could roost in (even without leaving any visible evidence). We will back this daylight search up with a check for local records of roosts and assess if nearby habitats likely to be suitable for bats.

What's involved in a bat survey? Bat surveys take place in two stages...

Don't wait until you are asked for a bat survey to reach out to an ecologist!

Many Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) no longer have in-house ecologists, so requests for surveys are often late or overlook seasonal limitations ultimately delaying your planning consent.

10 Ways to avoid bat survey problems in your development — Bat Survey Scotland We are often asked to help people who have found themselves in difficulties with planning or licensing their development, but the best way we can support you is making sure you don’t have problems…

This is just one of our quick tips to avoid bat survey problems, read the other 9 tips here: batsurvey.scot/blog/10-ways...

Where we find bat roosts depends on the bat species present AND local architecture. By using an ecologist based in Scotland, you get the local knowledge needed to support your construction or development project!

#bat #scotland #scottishecology #scottishconstruction

Why can’t you just clear out the bats? — Bat Survey Scotland If you’ve searched “get rid of a bat roost” or a similar phrase, you may have come across resources from North America about the logistics of removing bats from your home - in the UK it’s a little…

To read more head to our website: batsurvey.scot/blog/why-can...

Why can't you clear out the bats?

It's illegal - you can be fined up to £5k per bat if you harm them, or disturb, destroy or block access to a roost.

Bats are protected by law, but that doesn't mean they will stop your development. It just means you need an ecologist on your team!
#scottishecology

We will support you from start to finish.

If you are concerned about a bat roost at your home in Scotland, contact our team of experienced ecologists on admin@daviddoddsassociates.com.

#scottishecology #batsurveyscotland #scottishwildlife #batsinScotland

Our team of ecologists will work with you and NatureScot to find a suitable, licensable solution. You will get your home back, and we will ensure the bats are looked after and the law followed.

We will always meet you with understanding - you will never be 'told off' for not being able to live with a roost. We are firm believers that problem bat roosts should be dealt with quickly and sympathetically.

Sometimes we hear from someone struggling to live with a bat roost. Whether it's stray bats, smells, noise, or aggravating a phobia, you are not stuck if you are having trouble with a bat roost.

Bats are protected, but we can help you work towards getting your home back.

#batroost #batsinhouses

If you'd like to read more, you can look at the Bat Mitigation Guidelines (Case Study 32), or you can check out our summary of the case study here: cieem.net/wp-content/u...

We worked to maintain bat access to the hibernaculum while the quarry was infilled and returned to grassland, and the site continues to be used by bats over winter over a decade later!

Bats require specific conditions for hibernation, and our work on Middleton Upper Quarry in Midlothian has been used as a case study in the UK Bat Mitigation Guidelines to show successful hibernaculum design.

Bats being present on a site doesn't mean your development can't go ahead.

Instead it means we need to provide the right mitigation and compensation to look after the bats AND allow you to complete your project.

A team visiting to watch for bats is only part of a bat survey. The first part is a visual inspection to assess the POTENTIAL for roosting bats on your property. This determines the number of stage 2 visits needed from our team. We're over halfway through the 2025 season, so shout if you need us!

Bat Survey FAQs: Part 1 — Bat Survey Scotland No matter what kind of property you are developing or renovating, there are several questions we get time and time again. To help your proposed works go smoothly, here’s the answer to five of our…

If you'd like to check out more of our Bat Survey FAQs, you can see more here: batsurvey.scot/blog/bat-sur...

Stage 2 surveys (also known as Activity surveys or Presence/Absence Surveys) must take place when bats are active between the 1st of May and 30th of September, with at least one visit prior to the 31st of August.