Kingston Lodge, Manchester

Background

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In May of 2020 a diurnal bats and breeding birds inspection was undertaken

at Kingston Lodge (Figure 1), a detached two-storey Victorian cottage featuring

a cellar located in Didsbury, Greater Manchester, which revealed the presence

of 30-40 droppings in the loft void of the building alongside feeding remains –

indicating use of the space as a roost. A further 30-40 Brown Long-eared bat

droppings were found in the cellar, suggesting the building may also be being

used for hibernation; as a result, the building was categorised as pertaining to

‘High’ bat roost suitability in line with BCT guidance.

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Between July 2020 and August 2020 two dusk surveys and one dawn survey

were conducted to confirm the presence of a bat roost(s), establish species

present and their abundance. From these surveys it was learned that Kingston

Lodge was being used by one Brown Long-eared maternity colony as a satellite

roost; utilising the loft space with numerous emergence and re-entry points

observed. Additionally, a further single common pipistrelle day roost was

identified at the building.

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It was proposed that Kingston Lodge would be renovated, and an extension would be added to the southeast corner of the building thus meaning that the retention of the identified roost features in their entirety would not be feasible, thus, alternative roost mitigation provisions would need to be provided following the granting of a Natural England licence.

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Mitigation

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Works were undertaken during the hibernation season for bats (September – April); therefore, as Kingston Lodge held hibernation potential, prior to any works occurring at Kingston Lodge a permanent hibernation box (see Figures 2a-2b) was installed under tree canopy to compensate for the loss of potential hibernation opportunities in the cellar and provides a safe alternative location for hibernation. This bat box will be retained for the foreseeable future so that it will providing roosting opportunities for bats all year round.

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​​Within Kingston Lodge, a dedicated permanent bat loft (Figure 3) has been created within the apex of the building to provide like-for-like roost provisions for bats utilising the loft void; this bat loft is to the same dimensions and aspect as the previously existing loft space. The bat loft is constructed of Timber retained from the pre-existing loft to further mimic the previous conditions of the pre-existing loft space.

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The dedicated bat loft can be accessed via two bat access slates, located at northern and

eastern elevations – an example of which is provided in Figure 4. To increase accessibility

further and enhance the value of the building for bats even more, ridge access provisions

were also incorporated into the mitigation designs. In addition to the bat loft, two

integrated bat boxes were installed, also at the northern and eastern elevations.

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Monitoring

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In 2021 a static bat detector was installed in the loft from May to June as the first stage of

monitoring the success of the mitigation.

 

This case study will be updated with results of the monitoring presently.

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