Teignbridge Council taken to High Court over endangered bats' future

Devon has 11 horseshoe bat roosts in locations including Braunton, Buckfastleigh and the Tamar Valley

A high court judge will decide if one of the country's most endangered species of mammal can carry on living undisturbed at a spot in south Devon.

Teignbridge Council has given the go-ahead for more than 200 houses to be built at Chudleigh close to a population of greater horseshoe bats.

Devon Wildlife Trust wants the decision overturned and has called for a Judicial Review.

Landowner Rocklands Development Partnership declined to comment.

The Devon Wildlife Trust is bringing a Judicial Review against a planning decision made by Teignbridge District Council to grant permission for up to 230 houses to be built on land 170m from a site where female greater horseshoe bats live.

Large population

It is claiming that the Rocklands development on the edge of Chudleigh will pose a serious threat to the future of the bats.

Chudleigh's population of greater horseshoe bats is one of the largest left in the UK.

The bats use a site close to the town as a place to hibernate in winter and as a summer maternity roost in which to raise their young.

The caves do have protection from disturbance and development, and form part of the South Hams Special Area of Conservation.

• Greater horseshoe bats are one of 16 bat species found in Britain

• With wingspans of up to 40cm they are also one of the largest

• They get their name from the remarkable horseshoe-shaped organ on their noses, which the bats use to navigate and find prey

Source: Devon Wildlife Trust

However, the same protection does not extend to the surrounding green fields and hedgerows which are said to act as vital feeding grounds and flightpaths for the bats.

Harry Barton, chief executive of the Devon Wildlife Trust, said: "These bats are some of the rarest UK mammals.

"Devon remains one place where the bats can still be seen and supports the largest population in the whole of northern Europe.

"We hope that our case will set a clear precedent that will help give endangered species populations across Europe a brighter future."