Concerns over £166k cost of rehoming bats

Concerns have been raised over the cost of two houses being built for bats next to junction 10 of the M5.

The bat roosts are costing £166,000 and are part of the £372m major road upgrades which are due to be completed at the Gloucestershire junction over the next three years.

Lib Dem county councillor, Julian Tooke, said "bats are protected and apparently we have 12 out of the 14 species that exist nationally so you have to find somewhere to move them".

Creating roosting areas for displaced bats is a statutory requirement and the costs are predominantly being met from central government funding and developer contributions.

The development is expected to displace 130 bat roosts but Reform UK county councillor, Vernon Smith, said he was astonished by the cost of the project.

"Environmental issues are important", he said at a full council meeting on 25 March.

"But surely we could have done something far more sensibly costed for bat shelter."

Tooke agreed the cost is significant, and said: "I would much prefer that money was spent on children's services, education, libraries, all sorts of things."

But said the council had a statutory duty to do it and had got four quotes for the projects.

A new junction providing better access to the M5 motorway is expected to be finished in 2029.

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