A bid to transform a town's former fire and ambulance station into flats has been thrown out due to bats living in the 17th-century building.
Zeeshan Farooq had sought permission to turn the grade II listed building on Bungay's Lower Olland Street into two residential properties.
However, East Suffolk Council refused the planning bid.
As a result, Mr Farooq appealed against that decision, which planning inspector J Pearce has now dismissed.
The report says that the appeal was refused with concerns about how the transformation of the building would impact the town conservation area, bats roosting in the building, and waste complexities.
During an inspection, J Pearce stated that there was evidence bats had been living there.
It continued that the building had "suitable roosting features" within it for bats.
And while the possibility for the "bat's reemergence" is present, the plans should be refused as the application failed to "provide sufficient information to demonstrate that the proposal would not have an adverse impact upon bats".
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This is with regards to bats having a status as a protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and as European Protected Species under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.
The report also details the "decorative Dutch gables" of the building which "reflect those of the former seventeenth-century almshouses" and expresses concerns about how altercations may affect the building's details.
In addition, it says the "building is distinct in the locality and derives its significance from its stylish design and its former use as a fire station serving the local area".
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The report continues that the development would have a "high visual impact" and in conclusion, the "scheme fails to preserve or enhance the character" of the town's conservation area.
Bungay Town Council initially rejected the original plans to convert the building on a number of grounds.
It said the plans would be an "over development", and the materials are "inappropriate", there is a "lack of parking", and plans threaten the "iconic doors which tell the history of the building".
In the town conservation area appraisal, it reads: "The former fire station of 1930 on the corner of Wharton Street is one of the most prominent landmarks in the street, its curved gables reflecting those of the seventeenth-century almshouses which once occupied the site."
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