BATS may have put a spoke in any plans to brightly illuminate York’s big wheel after darkness falls.

A major bat survey has been conducted in the gardens of the Royal York Hotel where Great City Attractions intend to site the 53m observation wheel.

Six surveyors were positioned throughout the gardens on dusk and dawn activity surveys on September 29 and 30 to monitor activity, identify “commuting routes” in and out of the gardens and assess whether the hotel itself is currently being used by roosting bats.

The survey detected common pipistrelle bats foraging throughout the gardens, although none was observed in the hotel.

Experts Smeeden Foreman Ltd, who were commissioned to conduct the survey, have recommended that low-level lighting rather than LED lighting should be used to illuminate the wheel, with lighting reduced to a minimum after dark.

“Lighting will only be directed at the wheel, to reduce illumination of trees and surrounding gardens the experts say in a report submitted to City of York Council.

The report says the recommendation is made even though the bats using the site appear not to be deterred by flood-lighting on the exterior of the hotel.

The report also recommended construction should be outside the bats’ active season – May to September – or strictly within daylight hours during the active season, and there should be limits on the removal of mature vegetation currently used by bats.

The company’s previous planning application to site the wheel in the museum gardens, behind York Art Gallery, was withdrawn when it was discovered a bat survey had not been carried out earlier this year.