A WILDLIFE campaigner believes it would be 'batty' to build 65 luxury homes on the site of Fall Birch Hospital -- because it would endanger the site's population of bats and owls.

Rick Parker, the co-ordinator of the Bolton Conservation Volunteers (BCV), fears that the destruction of trees and surrounding natural habitat on the 3.5 hectare site would be catastrophic for the nocturnal bats and woodland birds.

And he is demanding that a bat survey is carried out by Bolton Council before any final decision is made on the application -- which is due to be made at a meeting next month. Mr Parker said: "We are horrified at the thought of the destruction of mature trees, bushes, wild flowers and wildlife, especially owls and bats, if this project ever got beyond the planning stage.

"Residents living near the hospital have reported seeing bats, and we already know that there are tawny owls and a large number of woodland birds living on the site.

"We have so little woodland left -- and if the development does go ahead, that woodland would be lost forever."

A spokesman for Bolton Council said: "It's only an outline application, but if there is a bat population there, it would be something that the sub planning committee would have to consider.

"The developer and council need to be notified if it is believed that there is a colony of bats, because they are a protected species.

"The Greater Manchester Ecological Unit and English Nature both say that developers must do a survey if it's believed that bats are on the site."

Hospital bosses have been puzzled by Wilson Connolly Northern's development proposals -- because the land has not yet been put up for sale by the Bolton NHS Hospitals Trust.

The application is due to be heard by Bolton's planning and highways committee on February 20.