Rhyl based Anwyl Construction faced the unusual problem when it set out to turn a dilapidated coachhouse into a health centre and spa.

St Dyfnog Springs, a Grade Two listed building, near Llanrhaeadr Hall in the Vale of Clwyd is now the summer home of a colony of rare lesser horseshoe bats.

The bats are a protected species in the UK and Europe, and the 100-strong colony has been described by the Countryside Council for Wales as not only one of the most important in Denbighshire but also of national importance.

CCW Species and Biodiversity Officer Matthew Ellis said it was likely the colony at the coachhouse is almost as old as the building itself which dates from the middle of the 17th century.

He said: “Lesser horseshoe bats are often associated with old manor-type buildings and they can often be found in storerooms and barns like this.

“Their numbers have suffered because they do have quite specific requirements for their roost site, a place where the females can rear the young from April onwards.

“Thanks to Anwyl Construction the roost has not only been maintained but it has been improved with better access for the bats so they should be very happy with the development.

Harry Roberts, Anwyl’s Contracts Director, who has overseen the project, said: “The bats are ideal tenants – you wouldn’t know they were there.

“We have been very careful to provide the type of facilities they need by retaining the access they have always used which was through the circular entrance to the old dovecote.

“We have also provided a special maternity roost for the females and a self-contained space the length of the building which ensures the bats aren’t disturbed and also additional openings for them.

“In many ways they may find it is much as it was when their ancestors first moved in because we have used original building techniques in restoring the property. That has meant using old-fashioned lime plaster bound together with horsehair.”

Watching over it all has been St Dyfnog Springs owner Emma Jones who is grateful that her long-cherished project is nearing completion.

Emma, who has run the business for 15 years, said: “I always appreciated the scale of the project which makes it all the more rewarding to see the building finally nearing completion.

“It was essential to retain the original character of the development and preserve the bat colony. I think we’re all proud to have been a part of saving a special piece of Welsh heritage in a beautiful setting.”