Residents have proof that bats are living on proposed housing development site at Dean Farm

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Residents who are fighting against the planning application for houses on Dean Farm have recorded a video that shows bats are living on the site.

The video was filmed on Saturday (18 April), whilst resident Anthony O’Neil was out walking his dog. Mr O’Neil was walking along a footpath, adjacent to the development at the time.

He said: “I could clearly see a number of bats flying in and around the proposed development. I live on Gilbrook Way, which is no more than 15 metres away from the proposed site entrance, and managed to capture a number of bats flying around on video.

“This is clear evidence that there are bats present in the area and around the proposed development. This in turn will have a significant impact on the bats natural habitat.”

During a meeting of Rochdale Council’s Licensing and Regulatory committee in January, residents brought up the issue of bats living on site, but were told by planning officers that this was not a reason to not grant planning permission.

Mark Robinson, Head of Planning at Rochdale Borough Council, said: “Outline planning permission has already been granted for this site. An ecology survey, undertaken as part of the application late last year, found that the site provided no suitable habitation for bats.

“If there is evidence that bats have since established themselves at the site, we will ask the developers to undertake new bat surveys as part of any future detailed planning application. If bats are found, they will have to take steps to mitigate the impact of any development.”