A riding school is pinning hopes of survival on its newfound residents

Bats have been seen in the rafters of the indoor school at Bow Lake Farm, in Portsmouth Road, Colden Common.

For owner, Sandra Emery, her daughter, Joanna, and the stables manager, Colin Baker, they could be the answer to their prayers.

Winchester City Council last year ordered them to demolish the building after they lost an appeal against enforcement notices requiring its demolition.

Now the stables has called in experts from English Nature to determine whether the bats are suffienctly rare to warrant saving their roost.

Mr Baker said the business would fold if the £130,000 riding school were to be pulled down.

"We would lose half the livery if this building went and we would definitely have to go," he added.

"I just hope that they find the bats and say the site has to be protected as a result."

A spokesman for English Nature said: "Bats are a European protected species so we do have to be careful with them. We would need to do detailed surveys and then negotiate with the local authority."

The riding school was built four years ago by Sandra's late husband, Eddie, even though the planners had refused him permission.

Since Mr Emery's death in September, Sandra and Joanne have been battling to keep the bulldozers at bay.

"My husband wanted to create a prestigious equestrian centre," said Sandra.

"It's been very difficult since his death, of course it has. We're just relying on our planning agent, Bryan Jezeph, to guide us in the right direction."

Mr Jezeph said city planners were "blinkered by rules".

"Not one councillor from the planning committee has been to see it in the past eight years. They've never seen it or thought about whether it's a nice facility," he added.

"I can understand why the planning department say that it should be pulled down.

"If everybody did this, the whole planning system would be a nonsense. But this is an equestrian use - the next best thing to agriculture - and we should have been granted permission in the first place.

"Planners should be cracking down on people who create pollution and build unsightly structures - not something like this."

Mr Jezeph added that the possibility of bats living in the rafters could be their last hope and he has also asked Mark Oaten to help.

"It seems a real shame to have to pull down such a well-designed and popular facility but rules are rules," said the Winchester MP.

"I want the planning committee to go and look at the site at least."

City planners say they must uphold development control rules and they will take advice on whether rules on preserving the habitat of bats could override an enforcement order.

"We had very good reasons for refusing permission and, as it has been upheld at appeal by an inspector, the council's argument has been enforced," said Labour councillor, Patrick Davies, a member of the planning committee.

"Obviously, however, the bat issue will need to be looked at," he added.