The Stage

Chit chat: On a wing and a prayer

Published Tuesday 26 January 2010 at 11:25 by Tabard

Help can come from the most unexpected of places.

Gotham City used to rely on Batman to save it from the forces of evil, but, it seems in Ayr, it’s his small, winged cousins that have flown to the rescue.

According to the Ayrshire Post, council chiefs look to be scuppered - at least temporarily - in their plans to demolish the town’s Civic Theatre, because a protected species of bat lives inside the building.

Jim McQuillan, head of property and neighbourhood services for South Ayrshire Council, has said the council will now have to wait for the results of a survey of the building before acting.

He said: “Permission to demolish the former Civic Theatre was granted at a council meeting on December 17.

“Now we know the future of the building, arrangements have been made for a specialist survey to determine if any bats are residing there. If bats are in residence, then we would have to apply to the Scottish Government for a licence to rehome the bats prior to demolition.”

Meanwhile, Garry Nixon, chairman of Ayrshire’s bat group (yes, there is one), is quoted as saying: “If bats are found to be nesting inside the theatre, the council will need to follow protocol and leave them alone.

“The maternity season runs from April to September and they cannot be disturbed during that period. The number of bats is decreasing all the time in the UK and that’s why they’re so protected.”

The same, of course, could be said of historic theatres…