Book bat surveys in winter, not in May

Bat emergence surveys only count between May and September, and every consultant’s diary fills up in the first weeks (sample note).

If the building could hold a roost, the planning officer will ask for the surveys before a decision. Book the first visit in winter, when the inspection of the building can be done, and the dusk visits are already in the diary when the season opens.

A missed season does not only delay the survey: it can move the whole build programme by a year.