Mott MacDonald appointed LUC to conduct bat and bird surveys at Wakehurst Place, to inform the Royal Botanical Gardens Kew’s planned programme of restoration works.

A 500-acre botanic garden in the High Weald of Sussex, Wakehurst Place is also home to the Millennium Seed Bank, the largest wild seed conservation project in the world.

Following an initial inspection, which enabled each building to be classified in terms of its bat roost potential, we determined that more extensive survey was required to support restoration proposals. Detailed surveys were undertaken in 2018, drawing on LUC’s UK-wide team of experienced bat surveyors.

We continued to be involved in the project, ultimately securing a licence to disturb roosting bats, subsequently enabling the restoration programme.