A BAT survey will be carried out in York’s Museum Gardens early next month, preparing the way for a fresh bid to construct a big wheel.

A planning application to site a 53-metre observation wheel behind York Art Gallery was withdrawn in February, only hours after a planners’ site visit and less than a day before City of York Council was due to make a decision.

York Museums Trust said then a full bat survey needed to be carried out amid “uncertainties” surrounding their presence in the area.

The survey could not be undertaken then as the creatures were in hibernation and away from their summer roosts.

A spokesman said today that a bat survey would be carried out in early May, adding: “We should have the results by mid-May.”

The Trust and Great City Attractions have said previously they intend to submit a new application for the wheel after the survey has been conducted.

The Trust said in February it was proud of its record in protecting and promoting wildlife diversity through the attractions it looked after, particularly the Museum Gardens, and it was happy to follow the recommendation for a report to establish whether there was any potential harm to bats in the vicinity.

The plans attracted a huge amount of criticism in the winter from both local residents and conservationists, worried about loss of privacy in local homes and the damage to the skyline, in particular views of the nearby Minster. However, others backed the scheme, saying it would provide a vital boost to the city’s tourism economy.

Michael Slater, the council’s assistant director of city strategy, recommended planning permission should be granted, even though the wheel would harm the setting of the Minster and the city centre conservation area.

He said the harm would only be for a temporary period of two years and there would be permanent benefits which, on balance, made the structure acceptable, as a semi-derelict area to the rear of the gallery would be landscaped and opened up to public access.