The King’s plans to convert a historic Balmoral steading into holiday homes risk being delayed after protected bats were discovered on the site.
Designs submitted to Aberdeenshire council propose transforming a vacant smallholding on the royal family’s Scottish estate into two three-bedroom dwellings for tourists.
However, the presence of multiple bat roosts has thrown the plans into doubt as NatureScot, the Scottish government nature agency, must assess whether to allow the proposed works to go ahead.
The news of additional tourist facilities planned for the estate comes as the Aberdeenshire castle opens up for public tours for the first time in its history.
For £100 a ticket, members of the public can visit private areas of building that no one beyond the royals and their invited guests have seen before. The tours sold out within minutes of going on sale in April.
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The lodge earmarked for transformation is a 19th-century granite outbuilding that forms part of Milton of Braichlie, a smallholding on the estate seven miles from the royal residence.
The Borders-based firm Dovecot Architects said, in plans submitted to Aberdeenshire council, that the renovation “aims to repair, refurbish and convert the existing building” to secure a sustainable future for the historic farming infrastructure within the royal estate.
For the proposed building works to gain approval, planning authorities have specified that developers must create a species protection plan outlining a strategy to shield the bats from potential harm.
The royal estate must also create alternative opportunities to enhance the site’s biodiversity, such as installing a barn owl nesting box and planting native trees and wildflower meadows.
The King’s environmental credentials are already clear in the application, with plans stating that the lodges will be powered with low-carbon air source heat pumps and solar panels. Developers also outline their intentions to salvage the buildings’ Welsh and Scotch slates for reuse in repair work across estate in the future.
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The royal project is not the first high-profile Scottish renovation to be complicated by the presence of bats. Last year Andy Murray was instructed to rehome roosting soprano pipistrelle bats discovered at his Cromlix hotel before he could convert a derelict building into a wellness cottage.
Bats are a protected species under UK law and it is illegal to kill, possess or handle them without a licence or to cause them harm or disturb their habitat in any way.
The outbuilding in question has already undergone a number of significant alterations. Historic documents from the Balmoral Estates archive show the changing face of the plot, which dates back to the 16th century, as its farming operation evolved over time. The outbuilding was used as a meal mill in the 18th century, and went on to be used as a steading and a workshop.
