Monmouth Town Council have passed a recommendation to make an application to Monmouthshire County Council and the Local Wildlife Site Designation Committee to make the hedgerow at the end of Dixton Close a local wildlife site (Site of Importance for Nature Conservation – SINC) due to the high number of bat species present and to agree any actions.

It follows the news that volunteers from the Dixton Bat Project have discovered a bat roost close to a proposed housing development site for 270 homes at Dixton Road, Monmouth.

Using thermal imaging cameras, the team filmed bats emerging from a barn at Priory Farm, just off the Hereford Road. Video and ultrasonic audio recordings confirm that the roost is home to Soprano Pipistrelle bats. Numerous "social calls"—typically made by mothers communicating with their young—strongly suggest this is a maternity roost.

Ecologist Steve Wadley installed the thermal cameras at night from a nearby resident’s garden.

Soprano Pipistrelle bats are a Priority Species in Wales and protected under Schedule 7 of the Environment (Wales) Act 2016. According to the Bat Conservation Trust, their core sustenance zone—the area they rely on for feeding—extends up to 3km from their roost.

In addition, volunteers recorded an unusually high number of Lesser Horseshoe bats in the area this February. These rare bats typically hibernate in winter but sometimes emerge briefly, rarely straying far from their roosts. Based on the sightings, it’s possible that the barn is also being used as a hibernation roost, with the bats later migrating to Newton Court, approximately 1km away, which is known as a major maternity roost.

Natural Resources Wales (NRW) has been informed, and volunteers have asked the agency to carry out DNA testing on bat droppings to identify the species present.

The roost is located less than 100 metres from the proposed development site.

Notably, an ecology survey from 2021, submitted by the developer to the Council, failed to detect any Soprano Pipistrelle activity. Although a new survey was conducted in 2024, Monmouthshire County Council has refused a Freedom of Information request to release its findings.

“It’s a thrill to discover this roost. It’s hard to think of a more suitable location for rare bats,” said campaigner Jonty Pearce.

The landscape around Dixton Road is considered highly suitable for bats. It is close to established roosts at Newton Court, Osbaston, and within range of the Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), as well as the Rivers Wye and Monnow. Mature hedgerows, wildflower meadows grazed by cattle and sheep, and south-facing slopes all support abundant insect life.

The Dixton Bat Project has recorded over 12 bat species near the proposed housing site.

A key vote on the Monmouthshire Replacement Local Development Plan will take place at the Monmouthshire County Council meeting on Thursday, 17 October 2025.

Campaigners are urging residents to contact their county councillors and request that plans for the Dixton Road development be paused until full ecological surveys are made public.