Plans to develop 270 Houses on the Dixton Road in Monmouth received a serious setback when a Citizen Project revealed that it has detected 12 species of bats using the site. The site, the size of 20 football pitches, has been promoted by Monmouthshire County Council as part of the Replacement Local Development Plan.

The bats detected included the rare and endangered Greater Horseshoe Bats and Lesser Horseshoe Bats from the nearby roost at Newton Court. Other bat species detected included Barbastelle Bats, Serotine Bats, Noctule Bats, Long Eared Bats as well as a large number of protected Bats.

The Dixton Bat Project is a Citizen Science initiative. Two bat detectors were placed on boundary fences next to the proposed development site on the Hereford Road and on Dixton Close. They were pointed at the development site and have been recording ultrasonic bat calls since January.

Results are scanned using Artificial Intelligence to identify key species. All records then are checked by a citizen science volunteer. The results are then validated by two professional local Ecologists. The ecologists Steve Wadley and Ashley Butler are fully qualified and have performed many bat surveys in Monmouthshire and the Forest of Dean.

According to a standard ecology scoring system, this places the location as a site of National Importance for bats.

“This rather disproves the council’s claim of limited bat activity on the site” said campaigner Jonty Pearce. “The council has removed key wording from the Replacement Local Development Plan that required bat surveys - claiming that it was too prescriptive.”

The council is also coming under fire for refusing a Freedom of Information request for a copy of the 2024 bat survey on the site. The survey was conducted by Ecology Solutions between May 2024 to October 2024 and was sent to Monmouthshire Council in March 2025.

The council claimed that this could hurt Redrow Homes. It said “its disclosure would adversely affect the interests of the person who provided the information (Redrow Homes)”. Redrow Homes is part of Barratt Developments Plc, the UK’s biggest house developer.

An appeal has been lodged with the Information Commissioners Office, about the Freedom of Information request, who are expected to rule on it in the next two months.

Monmouthshire MP Catherine Fookes, who has long campaigned on environmental issues - particularly pollution in the River Wye - has written to the Welsh Government’s Cabinet Secretary and to Paul Griffiths, Deputy Leader of Monmouthshire County Council to ensure they are aware of residents' concerns.

The full list of bats discovered are – Greater Horseshoe Bats, Lesser Horseshoe Bats, Barbastelle Bats, Common Pipistrelle Bats, Soprano Pipistrelle Bats, Nathusius Pipistrelle Bats, Daubentons’ Bats, Leislers Bat, Serotine Bat, Natterers Bat, Brown long eared as well as Myotis species Bats.

Most of these bats are extremely rare or endangered and are protected by law. Many of them such as the Pipistrelle bats are on the Schedule 7 list of Protected Species for Wales.

The Dixton Bat Project are extremely concerned about the impact the proposed development would have on these rare and endangered species.