Bizarre EU ruling that's threatening our churches: Directive giving protection to bats could see dozens of religious buildings closed because of damage animals cause
Medieval churches that survived the ?ravages of the Reformation? are under threat from a Brussels directive giving blanket protection to bats, MPs were warned yesterday.
Sir Tony Baldry, who represents the Church of England in the Commons, said dozens of parish churches were facing potential closure because of the crippling cost of dealing with bat infestations.
He told MPs that bat droppings were causing serious damage to medieval wall paintings, sculptures and wooden effigies - as well as posing a potential health hazard that has already forced the closure of one parish church.
But under the EU Habitats Directive, bats are given sweeping protections, making it impossible for the church authorities to deal with them.
Appealing to the Government to licence the destruction of bat nests, Sir Tony said: ?Many of the churches affected by bat infestation are approaching a situation where their buildings may be unsustainable as a place of worship.
?Now it is sometimes said that excluding bats from churches will render the bats homeless. But actually there is every chance that church congregations will find themselves homeless and without a place of worship with listed buildings left unoccupied and that is surely a solution which is undesirable for both bats and people.?
He went on: ?I cannot believe that the European Commission would want a situation in which it was not possible for congregations to worship in churches that go back to the time of the Conqueror, because of bat infestations.
Citing an example in his constituency in Banbury, Oxfordshire, he added: ?The church of St Peter ad Vincula at South Newington in my own constituency has some very fine, almost unique, medieval wall paintings which seem to have been spared Thomas Cromwell?s men.
?But having survived the ravages of the Reformation they are now threatened by bat urine.
?And these are irreplaceable parts of our natural heritage.? Under the terms of the EU Habitats Directive, destroying the breeding sites or resting places of bats is a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
The situation has left many churches facing huge cleaning and repair bills, and even forced them to take additional measures to accommodate their unwanted guests.
For example, the small parish church of Wiggenhall, St Germans, was forced to fit a ?bat flap? when replacing a small broken window pane, pushing up the cost from ?5 to ?140.
Environment Minister Richard Benyon acknowledged that churches faced serious problems from bats, but warned that issuing licences would lead to lengthy and costly legal challenges.
'My mind strays from the sermon now and I look up to see the impact bats may be having in my own church'
Environment minister Richard Benyon
He suggested that concerned congregations should contact the ?National Bat Helpline? for advice on minimising the damage caused by bat colonies.
The Government is focusing on making sure that guidance issued by the helpline and by conservation body Natural England is ?clear, proportionate and unambiguous?.
The Government is also funding research looking into bat deterrents and alternative roosting sites such as bat boxes.
Mr Benyon said so far acoustic devices are providing the best hope and further trials will be rolled out this year to prove that bats will not get used to them.
He said: ?Since this has been brought to my attention, it?s rather changed the way I look at churches, and occasionally my mind strays from the sermon now and I look up to see the impact bats may be having in my own church and elsewhere.?
Mr Benyon went on: ?Like you, I simply do not believe that it was the intention of those who drafted the Habitats Directive to render places of worship unusable to congregations or to impose unreasonable financial burdens to those congregations.?
A European Commission spokesman last night insisted that the British government had the power to vary the rules in cases where bats were causing damage.
The spokesman said: ?Member states can derogate from the strict protection based on Article 16 of the Habitats Directive. One reason for doing this would be to prevent serious damage to property.
?The Commission is therefore convinced that it is possible to protect both bats and churches.?
Churches could be closed because of EU directive about bats | Mail Online
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I've posted this article, but have also noticed that it fails to mentoin the Habitats directive which protects older buildings.. so the churches can do what they want to protect!
But this could interfere with other buildings..
**** the EU and their travelling circus...
Medieval churches that survived the ?ravages of the Reformation? are under threat from a Brussels directive giving blanket protection to bats, MPs were warned yesterday.
Sir Tony Baldry, who represents the Church of England in the Commons, said dozens of parish churches were facing potential closure because of the crippling cost of dealing with bat infestations.
He told MPs that bat droppings were causing serious damage to medieval wall paintings, sculptures and wooden effigies - as well as posing a potential health hazard that has already forced the closure of one parish church.
But under the EU Habitats Directive, bats are given sweeping protections, making it impossible for the church authorities to deal with them.
Appealing to the Government to licence the destruction of bat nests, Sir Tony said: ?Many of the churches affected by bat infestation are approaching a situation where their buildings may be unsustainable as a place of worship.
?Now it is sometimes said that excluding bats from churches will render the bats homeless. But actually there is every chance that church congregations will find themselves homeless and without a place of worship with listed buildings left unoccupied and that is surely a solution which is undesirable for both bats and people.?
He went on: ?I cannot believe that the European Commission would want a situation in which it was not possible for congregations to worship in churches that go back to the time of the Conqueror, because of bat infestations.
Citing an example in his constituency in Banbury, Oxfordshire, he added: ?The church of St Peter ad Vincula at South Newington in my own constituency has some very fine, almost unique, medieval wall paintings which seem to have been spared Thomas Cromwell?s men.
?But having survived the ravages of the Reformation they are now threatened by bat urine.
?And these are irreplaceable parts of our natural heritage.? Under the terms of the EU Habitats Directive, destroying the breeding sites or resting places of bats is a criminal offence carrying a maximum sentence of six months in prison.
The situation has left many churches facing huge cleaning and repair bills, and even forced them to take additional measures to accommodate their unwanted guests.
For example, the small parish church of Wiggenhall, St Germans, was forced to fit a ?bat flap? when replacing a small broken window pane, pushing up the cost from ?5 to ?140.
Environment Minister Richard Benyon acknowledged that churches faced serious problems from bats, but warned that issuing licences would lead to lengthy and costly legal challenges.
'My mind strays from the sermon now and I look up to see the impact bats may be having in my own church'
Environment minister Richard Benyon
He suggested that concerned congregations should contact the ?National Bat Helpline? for advice on minimising the damage caused by bat colonies.
The Government is focusing on making sure that guidance issued by the helpline and by conservation body Natural England is ?clear, proportionate and unambiguous?.
The Government is also funding research looking into bat deterrents and alternative roosting sites such as bat boxes.
Mr Benyon said so far acoustic devices are providing the best hope and further trials will be rolled out this year to prove that bats will not get used to them.
He said: ?Since this has been brought to my attention, it?s rather changed the way I look at churches, and occasionally my mind strays from the sermon now and I look up to see the impact bats may be having in my own church and elsewhere.?
Mr Benyon went on: ?Like you, I simply do not believe that it was the intention of those who drafted the Habitats Directive to render places of worship unusable to congregations or to impose unreasonable financial burdens to those congregations.?
A European Commission spokesman last night insisted that the British government had the power to vary the rules in cases where bats were causing damage.
The spokesman said: ?Member states can derogate from the strict protection based on Article 16 of the Habitats Directive. One reason for doing this would be to prevent serious damage to property.
?The Commission is therefore convinced that it is possible to protect both bats and churches.?
Churches could be closed because of EU directive about bats | Mail Online
---------------------------------------
I've posted this article, but have also noticed that it fails to mentoin the Habitats directive which protects older buildings.. so the churches can do what they want to protect!
But this could interfere with other buildings..
**** the EU and their travelling circus...
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