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<p>Following the General Election the Church Commissioners plan to seek an early meeting
with the Department for Communities and Local Government regarding changing the regulations
on bat roosts. In recent years the Church of England has seen increased numbers of
bats using church buildings as roosts. This increased usage of our church buildings
by bats for roosting is causing considerable strain on the parish communities and
volunteers who maintain the parish churches alongside the great expense in cleaning
and restoration of items of great religious, cultural and historic significance. In
extreme cases the presence of bats is preventing the building being used for worship
or by its wider community.</p><p>The Church of England is working alongside Natural
England on a substantial Heritage Lottery Fund bid which will seek to provide physical
and long lasting solutions for the worst affected churches and create a wider support
network for those with smaller or transient bat populations. Both St . Margaret of
Antioch, Wellington and St Mary’s Church, Pembridge in my Hon Friend’s constituency
have faced significant problems with bat populations. Both churches are part of the
Heritage Lottery Fund bid and have already installed mitigation measures. We hope
the bid for support will be successful and that this might then be able to bring some
relief to churches across the country.</p>
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