Local bat populations threatened by Eton New Town proposal
If the proposal by Eton College to build 3,250 new homes on greenfield land at East Chiltington bordering the South Downs National Park goes ahead, there will be serious consequences for local bat populations.
All 18 of our resident species of bat are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, making it an offence to deliberately disturb in a way that would significantly affect their local distribution or abundance, or affect their ability to survive, breed, or rear young.
Bat populations in the UK have declined in tandem with the loss of invertebrate species. A recent study estimates a 60% drop in invertebrate numbers in the last 20 years [1].
Urbanisation is another major contributing factor to the decline, causing habitat fragmentation and degradation, with increased noise and light pollution affecting their ability to navigate, find food and roost sites. Current research on environmental pollution suggests that traffic noise can cause a decrease in bat activity by two thirds [2].
Given their sensitivities to environmental changes, bats make excellent bioindicators, their presence and absence providing us with vital insight into the health of ecosystems.
A recent survey carried out on a 35-acre site in East Chiltington, bordering the Eton land earmarked for urbanisation, found a wide distribution of 8 species of bat using the area as foraging, roosting and commuting habitat.
Alongside more common bat species, such as the Common pipistrelle and Soprano pipistrelle, rarer species such as Noctule, Serotine, a Myotis sp, and a Long-eared bat sp, were recorded.
With many bat species being of high conservation concern, and given their sensitivities to environmental change, how can a development such as this be allowed planning consent? If it goes ahead, at the very least, this development would cause many years of disruption, reduce and degrade available habitat and food sources for resident bats and increase environmental pollution.
To ensure the future survival of these populations we must say ‘NO’ to Eton New Town and ‘YES’ to wild nature!
References
[1] Ball, L., Still, R., Riggs, A., Skilbeck, A., Shardlow, M., Whitehouse, A., Tinsley-Marshall, P., Trust, K., Barn, T., Lane, S. and Kent (n.d.). [online] Available at: https://cdn.buglife.org.uk/2022/05/Bugs-Matter-2021-National-Report.pdf [Accessed 10 May 2022].
[2] Traffic noise playback reduces the activity and feeding behaviour of free-living bats. (2020). Environmental Pollution, [online] 263, p.114405. doi:10.1016/j.envpol.2020.114405.
Image © www.bats.org.uk