Talks underway to resolve deadlock in bat wrangle (From Gazette & Herald)

Talks underway to resolve deadlock in bat wrangle

A NEW bid is being made to resolve the long-running wrangle over the bats which have made their home in the pretty ancient church of St Hilda's at Ellerburn in the North York Moors National Park.

Ryedale MP John Greenway has had a fact-finding meeting with officials and members of the congregation of the church which is part of the Thornton-le-Dale benefice.

Church regular John Grimble, who has been one of the leaders of the campaign to persuade English Nature, the Bats Conservancy Council, English Heritage, and the National Park Authority, said: "We feel we are being constantly impinged by regulations - stitched up by legislation." Mr Grimble added that new attempts to end the deadlock were being explored but could cost thousands of pounds.

One idea to solve the problem is to install a heater and possibly under-draw the church lych gate and entrance to the medieval church to provide an alternative home for the rare breed of bats of which there are thought to be about 40 in the church.

Another idea, said Mr Grimble, is to adapt a barn at a farm opposite the church, but that work was likely to cost £12,000.

But unless some positive action is taken the church could in the long-term face closure fears Mr Grimble whose family have been attending St Hilda's for generations and woodwork by his wife's father is one of its features.

"We naturally rely on congregations, especially visitors in the summer months to keep going but the problem of the bat droppings on the pews and the repugnant smell will drive people away."

He added: "English Nature has advised us to use bat boxes, but we have been told they don't work.

"They won't allow us to bung up the holes to stop the bats getting into the church but English Nature has offered to pay for cleaners to keep the church clean if the bats can remain."

Mr Greenway told the Gazette & Herald this week that he was making a new plea to the Environment Minister Ben Bradshaw to urge the Government to change the law regarding bats habiting churches.

Mr Greenway said that Mr Bradshaw, during a recent debate on the bat issue, had said he would encourage the congregation of Ellerburn church to apply for a licence, intimating that he was likely to support it.

However, said Mr Greenway, the church council had now discovered that if an application was made to Defra it had, by law to consult English Nature "and they had already said that they would oppose any moves to transfer the bats".

Mr Greenway said it was wrong that the York Diocesan Authority and English Heritage were not consulted and their views taken into account.

There needs to be a change in the law. To get English Nature to support it the church would have to show that it had provided alternative accommodation under "their own free will" and had chosen to use it, sustained over two years.

Mr Greenway said Ellerburn Church was willing to raise the money to re-roof a barn 100 yards away.

"But it will be left up to the bats to decide if they want to use it and the gaps in the church door cannot be blocked up unless, and until they do. As the law stands if the bats don't want to use the alternative habitat there is nothing that can be done," said Mr Greenway.

He added that there was a growing consensus in the Church of England General Synod that more community use should be made of churches but that was impossible in such buildings as Ellerburn church which suffered from bat droppings.

"I believe this is a completely unintended consequence of the bat protection legislation that no one in the Government seems prepared at present to bring about a change in the law which would mean primary legislation in parliament."

Updated: 15:38 Wednesday, March 08, 2006