After a preliminary roost assessment, agree the next steps with the report author and allocate the actions. Filing the report is not the same as completing the ecological work it identifies.
The report author should explain the findings and the appropriate next steps. This checklist helps a project manager organise that discussion without turning every report into a standard survey programme.
Check what the report actually covers
Start with the survey date, the property or site assessed and the proposed works described. Check that the drawing revision and work description still match the current project. Read the scope and limitations as well as the conclusion.
If the design has changed, send the change to the author for review. Do not assume that advice for one proposal automatically applies to another.
Build a recommendation log
| Record | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Recommendation and report reference | Locate the advice and preserve its meaning. |
| Person responsible | Identify who can arrange the next step or design response. |
| Information needed | List the documents or decisions needed before that action. |
| Programme dependency | Show when the evidence or response is needed. |
| Completion or review record | Document the response and any remaining uncertainty. |
Keep an open question distinct from an instruction. If the report’s wording is unclear to the project team, ask the author before converting it into a tender item or a works programme assumption.
Understand conditional further survey work
Further survey recommendations should be interpreted for the particular assessment. Do not infer a universal number of visits from a generic roost-potential label or another project’s report.
The Bat Conservation Trust’s professional survey guidelines provide the professional context. The appointed ecologist should explain the scope and evidence needed. Where relevant, ACP’s bat emergence surveys page explains that service, and the bat survey season page supports the programme discussion.
Carry the findings to the relevant designers
Identify which recommendations affect the architect, lighting designer, landscape team, arborist or other contributors. Supply a current drawing set and ask for the responses to be recorded. An ecological constraint should not disappear merely because the work moves to another consultant.
Use a shared register to connect each response to its report reference. This lets a reviewer see what was changed and why, rather than trying to reconstruct decisions from separate email chains.
Keep the planning decision and any licence question visible
Where the report refers to planning or licensing, ask the responsible specialist to explain the next decision and evidence requirements. The action log is a coordination aid; it cannot make those decisions itself. Natural England’s planning advice for bats is a useful primary reference.
Illustrative example: a report recommends further investigation before conclusions can be reached for proposed roof works. The manager records the dependency, allocates the action and asks the author to explain the programme implications. The tender does not describe the assessment as a completed clearance for work.
Preliminary roost assessment: next steps to confirm
- Does the assessed proposal match the current design?
- Which limitations affect the conclusions the team can rely on?
- Which recommendations need further evidence or design changes?
- Who should review those responses?
- What changes should be referred back for advice?
For the assessment service itself, see preliminary roost assessment. To discuss the next ecological scope, contact ACP with the report, current drawings and a short list of the decisions the team needs to make.