London builder destroyed breeding site of bats, fined £600,000
The case was brought after the company carried out demolition work at the site, where the presence of Soprano Pipistrelle bats had been documented in 2017.
In the largest fine levied for wildlife crime, a leading builder of residential property has been fined £600,000 (approx ₹6 crore) for destroying a breeding site or resting place for bats at a construction site in Greenwich, east London, Scotland Yard said on Friday.
The fine was levied on Bellway Homes following a complex investigation that led to the company admitting to damaging or destroying the site and was ordered to pay a fine of £600,000 with further costs of over £30,000.
The company agreed to make a voluntary donation of £20,000 to the Bat Conservation Trust.
The case was brought after the company carried out demolition work at the site, where the presence of Soprano Pipistrelle bats had been documented in 2017. The company was notified that if it wished to carry out work they would need to first obtain the appropriate mitigation and a Natural England European Protected Species licence.
All bats within the UK are covered under the European Protected Species (EPS) regulations and receive full protection under the Conservation of Species and Habitats regulations 2010, which makes it an absolute offence to deliberately capture, injure or kill any of the EPS, or to deliberately disturb them, or to damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place.
The company had not applied for licence from Natural England and following the police investigation, the company was charged on in November 2019. It pleaded guilty this week of carrying out the construction activity and destroying/damaging the breeding site in March 2018.
Inspector David Hawtin of the Greenwich Safer Neighbourhoods Team said: “The success of this case has been the result of diligent investigation…With the expert assistance of colleagues from specialist units within the Metropolitan Police Service, the officers constructed evidence to prove that the company had indeed committed an offence by carrying out work at a site where bats were known to inhabit”.
“Bellway Homes has admitted responsibility for this and I hope it reinforces the message that this legislation is there for a reason and should be adhered too,” he added.
