![](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/1763998250_695_grey-placeholder.png\")
![\"Getty](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/9ee86b80-cbb0-11f0-9dec-8913bb28cd81.jpg.webp.webp\")
Getty Images<\/p>\nJames McCarthy,BBC Walesand<\/p>\n
Twm Owen,Local Democracy Reporting Service<\/p>\n
Getty Images<\/p>\n
An application for six flats in an old church has been approved by a council<\/p>\n
A matchbox-size bat living in a 200-year-old church is holding up plans to turn the property into six flats.<\/p>\n
The lone, common pipistrelle weighs just 5g (0.17oz) – the same as a 20p coin.<\/p>\n
But the tiny creature, who only comes out after sunset, is protected by law and an application made to convert Pisgah Baptist Church, in Talywain, Torfaen, has stalled.<\/p>\n
The plan was initially refused in 2024 because a bat survey had not been submitted.<\/p>\n
But when Beth Jones, who is behind the project, applied again with the survey, the tiny bat – also known as pipistrellus pipistrellus – was spotted emerging from an extension.<\/p>\n
Torfaen council planning officer Tom Braithwaite said “dusk emergence surveys” made the discovery.<\/p>\n
He added: “This proposal impacts upon a building where bats are present and therefore, as bats are protected under domestic and European legislation, a licence to move the bats would be required.”<\/p>\n
It has also been claimed one of the church’s early ministers, and others, may be buried under the church.<\/p>\n
Ms Jones, of Pontypool, must also conduct “relevant investigative work” to resolve these claims, Mr Braithwaite said.<\/p>\n
Pisgah Baptist Church held its first baptism in 1827.<\/p>\n
![\"LDRS](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/71064960-cbb2-11f0-9dec-8913bb28cd81.jpg.webp.webp\")
LDRS<\/p>\n
But now the applicant must apply for a permit to have a bat living in it removed<\/p>\n
What is a pipistrelle bat? <\/p>\n
The common pipistrelle is one of the most common British bats.<\/p>\n
They are the species people are most likely to spot in their gardens, with each one eating thousands of insects a night.<\/p>\n
The common and soprano pipistrelle, also found in the UK, were only identified as separate species in the 1990s, according to the Bat Conservation Trust. <\/p>\n
They look similar and the easiest way to tell them apart is from the frequency of their echolocation calls.<\/p>\n
Common pipistrelles feed in habitats including woods, hedges, grassland, farms, suburban and urban areas.<\/p>\n
They usually come out about 20 minutes after sunset and fly 2m to 10m (6.5ft to 33ft) above ground searching for food, which they eat on the wing.<\/p>\n
Summer roosts of common pipistrelles are often found in crevices around the outside of newer buildings.<\/p>\n
They can be found behind hanging tiles, between roofing felt and roof tiles or in cavity walls.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"James McCarthy,BBC Walesand Twm Owen,Local Democracy Reporting Service Getty Images An application for six flats in an old…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":600118,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3847],"tags":[70,16,15,1717],"class_list":{"0":"post-600117","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-wildlife","8":"tag-science","9":"tag-uk","10":"tag-united-kingdom","11":"tag-wildlife"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@uk\/115629836169387827","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600117","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=600117"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/600117\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/600118"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=600117"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=600117"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=600117"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}