I was talking to a local businessman who bought some derelict buildings in the town centre 'for next to nothing' (his words) and he was going to have them developed and was looking at making a lot of money. Until someone discovered that there were bats in there and he couldn't touch the buildings, that was 20+ years ago. Not a happy chap
I had never heard of the bat protection laws before he told me but as of now, the disused buildings are still in a state of ruin.
https://www.gov.uk/guidance/bats-protection-surveys-and-licences#