Pink Floyd star David Gilmour's plans to renovate his £2million farmhouse are stalled by discovery of protected bats
Pink Floyd star David Gilmour's plans to renovate his £2million farmhouse could be stalled by the discovery of protected bats. The guitarist, 80, and his writer wife, Polly Samson, want to redevelop four dilapidated barns at their Grade II-listed property near Billingshurst, West Sussex.Blueprints submitted to Horsham District Council, seen by the Daily Mail, describe the outbuildings at the couple's four-bedroom 17th-century property as 'decaying'.One barn 'requires urgent structural attention to prevent collapse', the planning documents state. The rock star wants to transform the barns into a garden study, a pottery studio with a kiln room, and a guest bedroom with a shower room. But the legendary guitarist's plans could hit a stumbling block with the discovery of protected bat species in some of the barns. An ecology study, commissioned by Mr Gilmour, revealed there were seven bat roosts with droppings found in one of the outbuildings. Results from the study found soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared, barbastelle, whiskered and Natterer's bats.Surveyors noted that four bat roosts would be kept in one barn during the redevelopment, but three others in another outbuilding would be 'destroyed'. Pink Floyd star David Gilmour and his wife Polly Samson's plans to renovate their £2million farmhouse could be stalled by the discovery of protected bats Blueprints submitted to Horsham District Council, seen by the Daily Mail, describe the outbuildings at the couple's four-bedroom 17th-century property as 'decaying''These are: soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared and whiskered day roosts,' they said. The work would be 'timed to avoid bat hibernation season' between spring and autumn, and 'compensatory roosting opportunities will be provided'. Mr Gilmour will now need to apply for a European Protected Species Mitigation Licence (EPSML) from Natural England to carry out the works 'lawfully', the document said. Two bat boxes would also be installed by a licensed bat ecologist on the first day of the works as part of the conditions of the licence. 'The box will face between southeast and southwest, at a height of approximately 3m, receiving several hours of daylight,' the study states. 'The box will remain in place for a minimum of five years, and any future relocation or removal will require advice from an ecologist.'Architects describe the estate as having 'wonderful uninterrupted views over the surrounding paddocks and open farmland beyond'.They argued the development would 'present no harm to the special interest of the listed building'.They added: 'The development will be of high quality that respects its rural setting and proximity to the adjacent listed farmhouse, while reflecting the local scale and vernacular and use materials that are in keeping to the character of the area.'Dr Joe Nunez-Mino, from the Bat Conservation Trust, told The Telegraph that 'bat species are legally protected because they’ve suffered historic declines'.He said: 'A recent study showed that for one species that decline was 99 per cent. They are particularly vulnerable to factors that can also negatively impact other wildlife and people, from toxic pesticides to light pollution. Horsham District Council is yet to decide on the proposals.Last year, Mr Gilmour was ordered to tear down a garden shed at his home in Hampstead, north London. The rock star wants to transform the barns into a garden study, a pottery studio with a kiln room, and a guest bedroom with a shower room Last year, Mr Gilmour was ordered to tear down a garden shed at his home in Hampstead, north London The musician had argued it was of 'modest size' and 'traditional construction'. But he lost the planning row with neighbours after they claimed the shed was 'significantly more visually and physically intrusive than what was originally approved or what stood there before'. And Mr Gilmour has had to slash the asking price of his seafront home in Hove multiple times, with the guide price plummeting to £8,950,000. The figure is a £6million drop from when the house was put on sale for £15million three years ago.
