What bat and nesting-bird informatives mean for tree contractors
A line about bats or nesting birds at the bottom of a decision notice looks like boilerplate. For tree contractors it is often a signal that someone will need to survey, supervise or reschedule tree work on that site.
Informative or condition: what is the difference?
A planning condition is legally binding on the permission and usually has to be discharged before work starts. An informative is an advisory note. It does not bind the applicant on its own, but it points to laws that do. Ignoring a bat or bird informative does not breach the permission, yet damaging a roost or an active nest can still be a criminal offence.
The law sitting behind the note
- Nesting birds: under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 it is an offence to damage or destroy a nest that is in use or being built. The risk period is broadly March to August, but it varies with species and weather, so contractors check rather than rely on dates alone.
- Bats: bats and their roosts are protected under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the 1981 Act. Damaging or destroying a roost can be an offence even when no bats are present on the day. If work would affect a roost, a licence from Natural England is normally needed.
Why trees are the pinch point
Mature trees offer cavities, rot holes, split limbs, loose bark and dense ivy: what ecologists call potential roost features. A tree removal or crown reduction that is routine on paper may need a ground-level assessment first, then a closer inspection by a climber, and sometimes emergence or re-entry surveys. Those surveys can only be done in the active season, generally late spring to early autumn, so a missed window can delay a project by months.
Where the work is for tree contractors
- Aerial inspections of trees with potential roost features, working alongside a licensed ecologist.
- Supervised or “soft” felling and sectional dismantling under a method statement agreed with the ecologist.
- Pre-work nesting bird checks and programme advice so clearance falls outside the main nesting season.
- Mitigation installs such as bat and bird boxes fixed to retained trees.
- Retained tree protection where the notice links wildlife to the root protection areas of trees kept on site.
How to pitch it
Look for decisions that mention trees, hedgerows, old buildings or woodland edges together with a wildlife informative. Contact the applicant or agent soon after the decision, before groundworks are programmed, and lead with the timing: “your clearance programme needs a survey window, and here is how we handle that”. That is a more useful opener than a general tree quote.