BATS roosting in the loft of a village hall are receiving special protection thanks to new Ribble Valley Borough Council planning rules.
Protected species surveys are now a compulsory part of the borough's planning process and a survey at Slaidburn Village Hall established pipistrelle bats were roosting beneath the ridge tiles.
As a result, a bat tube had to be incorporated into the gable end of the building and bat boxes fixed to the rear elevations as part of major refurbishment.
Ribble Valley Borough Council has signed up to Lancashire Biodiversity Action Plan, which has targets for the preservation of the most threatened and declining species and habitats, including bats.
Last year, Ribble Valley Borough Council launched the successful Bowland Wader Project to save wader birds from extinction by helping landowners and farmers create and improve habitats for lapwings, curlew and red shank.
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