A new simpler licensing process for bats, which comes into force on 31 March 2014, will save developers and consultants time and money.
The new annexed licence will reduce the number of licence re-submissions and will help Natural England meet its target to reduce the costs for those it regulates.
It follows the establishment of a similar system for great crested newts, which was launched last year and has so far reduced the number of newt licence resubmissions by up to 25 per cent and produced savings of £85,000.
The annexed licence process enables minor issues to be resolved between the applicant and Natural England without the need to re-submit the entire method statement and supporting documents. As well as reducing paperwork and process costs, this approach also helps developers avoid delays to projects, which can be critical when dealing with species that hibernate.