Developer’s appeal after Matlock bat roost was destroyed
A developer who was found to have destroyed the resting place of protected wild bats in Matlock after he went ahead with plans for a residential site is still appealing against the conviction.
Chesterfield magistrates’ court heard during a trial how Hargurdial Singh Rai, of Birmingham-based ISAR Enterprises Ltd, went ahead with the redevelopment of former offices on Dale Road despite a survey identifying the site as a resting place for the bats.
Rai denied the charge, claiming he had delegated decisions to others. Magistrates found Rai, of North Drive, Handsworth, Birmingham, and ISAR guilty of destroying the resting place of a protected species between March, 2011, and July, 2012. The defendant was to be sentenced at a confiscation hearing but after launching an appeal his case was adjourned to January 9, 2015, at Derby Crown Court. It has been further adjourned to March.