Kingfisher School

Protecting and rehoming bats under a European Protected Species (EPS) licence

Kingfisher School supports primary aged children with the most complex and severe learning needs. The demand for places at the school has increased by nearly 50% in just over five years.

Seddon was awarded the second stage of a two-stage tender for Oldham Council to deliver essential improvements works to Kingfisher School via the Procure Partnerships Framework. The construction works include a building extension for the installation of a new hydrotherapy pool and 2 classrooms on the site of the old pool. The existing building is being reconfigured to optimise the available learning space.

To enable the detailed design proposals and the detailed planning submission to progress, Urban Green undertake a preliminary ecological assessment including a bat roost assessment.

Following the detection of a bat roost within an existing building, emergence/re-entry surveys and DNA analysis were completed. A bat European Protected Species (EPS) licence was applied for to Natural England to rehome the bat roost safely by our bat licensed Ecological Clerk of Works. Two bats were successfully rehomed on the site.

Take a look at Seddon’s short video featuring our Ecology Manager Natasha Seaward https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lZrqM53t-ig&t=14s4

In addition, our arboricultural consultants completed a tree protection plan and arboriculture method statement to discharge a planning condition, and our landscape architecture team identified tree locations and tree pit details, plant schedule and landscape specification notes and maintenance for new trees to be planted on site.