Thetford residents use bat boxes to slow Abbey Estate plans

Residents of a housing estate say they have installed dozens of bat boxes in a bid to delay a proposed major redevelopment.

Flagship Group wants to demolish and rebuild almost half the 1,100 properties on the Abbey Estate in Thetford, Norfolk – and add almost 500 more homes to the area.

People opposed to the plan said they hoped to attract rare bats to slow down the work.

The developer said promoting biodiversity was “a key part of our vision for the Abbey”.

Regeneration director James Payne also said the company had its own plans to install bat boxes on the estate.

“We’ve been engaging with the community about the future of the Abbey since 2019, and those views have shaped our approach to the regeneration,” he added.

Fiona Kiane from the Abbey Action Group said residents had now erected 130 bat boxes around the estate.

She said she had placed one on the house she bought 24 years ago, which was due to be demolished.

Although it will be rebuilt, she said she was concerned it would not be to the same standard and there was no guarantee that she would keep her existing neighbours.

“We have done a lot of research to find out what encourages bats – what they eat, which is the best direction for a bat box to face,” she said.

“We already have bats on the estate – you can see them in the evening.”

Residents also said they were worried about how the estate would cope with an influx of 500 new households, as well as the fact the redevelopment work could take place over 20 years.

Fellow Abbey Action Group member Cathy Spillane said the bat-plan was “a bit out there” but locals were “making a strong signal”.

She admitted it was ultimately unlikely to stop the redevelopment – but it was another way for people to show their opposition.

“The bat boxes are a way of people on the estate taking back some agency on what is happening to them. We feel very much that this is an unnecessary development that is being done to us,” she said.

South West Norfolk MP Terry Jermy said he felt the proposal for the estate would “destroy that community” and he supported the installation of bat boxes.

“It’s good for the environment. Whether it’ll slow the application I’ve got no idea, but it’s definitely worth doing,” he added.

Flagship has said that the redevelopment would transform the Abbey Estate, providing hundreds of new, energy-efficient homes.

James Payne from the company also insisted it would “create more spaces at the Abbey where people can connect with nature”, promising almost 600 new trees, along with bat and bird boxes.

“People at the Abbey have told us that creating areas for more wildlife was something that mattered to them,” he added.

Breckland District Council is due to decide on the proposals for the Abbey Estate at a later date.