Nietoperze zatrzymują plany remontu posiadłości Davida Gilmoura wartego 2 mln funtów

Pink Floyd legend David Gilmour’s plans to refurbish his £2 million farmstead might be obstructed by the presence of protected bats. The 80-year-old guitarist and his author wife, Polly Samson, aim to revamp four deteriorating barns at their Grade II-listed residence near Billingshurst, West Sussex. Blueprints presented to Horsham District Council, as reported by the Daily Mail, portray the outbuildings at the couple’s four-bedroom 17th-century estate as 'rotting’. One barn is described as in need of urgent structural attention to prevent potential collapse. The guitar virtuoso envisions converting the barns into a garden study, a pottery studio equipped with a kiln room, and a guest bedroom with an attached shower room. However, the rock icon’s aspirations may face a setback following the discovery of protected bat species inhabiting some of the barns. An ecological survey, initiated by Mr. Gilmour, disclosed the presence of seven bat roosts with droppings detected in one of the outbuildings. The examination identified soprano pipistrelle, brown long-eared, barbastelle, whiskered, and Natterer’s bats. Surveyors highlighted that while four bat roosts would be preserved in one barn during the renovation, three roosts in another outbuilding would be inevitably 'destroyed’. Architects lauded the estate for its breathtaking panoramic views of the surrounding paddocks and vast farmland. They contend that the project poses no threat to the historical significance of the listed property, reflecting the local architectural style and utilizing materials that harmonize with the area’s character. Dr. Joe Nunez-Mino, from the Bat Conservation Trust, emphasized that bat species are safeguarded by law due to their historical population decline. He stressed the vulnerability of bats to various threats, including toxic pesticides and light pollution, which could also adversely affect other wildlife and human beings. Horsham District Council has yet to make a decision regarding the proposals. Last year, Mr. Gilmour was instructed to dismantle a garden shed at his residence in Hampstead, north London. Despite arguing that the shed was modest in size and constructed in a traditional manner, he lost the planning dispute with neighbors who alleged that the structure was substantially more visually and physically intrusive than the original approval or its predecessor. Furthermore, Mr. Gilmour has had to repeatedly reduce the asking price of his seaside property in Hove, with the guide price plummeting to £8,950,000 – a significant £6 million decrease from the initial price of £15 million when the house was first listed for sale three years ago.