We provide a comprehensive range of ecology surveys. Surveys are based on the latest best practice guidance and undertaken by professional ecologists to ensure reliable results and sound assessment.
Worried about protected species on your site? By involving an our team of experienced ecologist early on in the project and through seamless collaboration with the design team effective mitigation strategies can be integrated into the project design to ensure timely planning.
Discover our extensive range of ecological surveys and assessments, as well as our handy guide to ecology survey timings below.
Bats
Badger
Dormouse
Water Vole and Otter
Great Crested Newt
Reptiles
Birds
Biodiversity-related planning conditions are often applied to planning permission. One of the most common planning conditions relates to the implementation of appropriate mitigation to ensure that habitats and protected species are protected during habitat clearance or building demolition and ultimately ensure that local populations are not impacted by the development. As well as being required for planning purposes, mitigation is often needed to comply with legislation.
Where European Protected Species (EPS) are recorded within a site, a mitigation licence is often needed before any works can commence. Mitigation licences must be applied for to the relevant body (Natural England, NatureScot or Natural Resources Wales). Once granted, these licences form legally binding documents.
Our team of highly skilled professionals is committed to helping clients navigate complex legislative requirements and implement effective mitigation strategies to minimise impacts, including obtaining EPS Mitigation Licences where required. By liaising closely with clients and their design team, we can ensure that mitigation strategies are successful, cost-effective and in line with project timescales.
The biodiversity net gain legislation for England requires developers to deliver a minimum 10% net gain in biodiversity for most major planning applications and from 2nd April most minor planning application. The aim is to ensure a development will result in more or better quality natural habitat than before, and secured for a minimum of 30 years through a legal agreement. This is measured through completion of Defra's Statutory Metric. The metric uses habitats as a proxy for biodiversity and calculates biodiversity value in standardised ‘biodiversity units.’ The value of habitats is calculated based on type, size, quality and local context.
Developers should seek to reduce and avoid any loss in biodiversity onsite through site selection and sensitive scheme design. Where developers are able to demonstrate it is not feasible to achieve a 10% net gain onsite. Offsite options will be available through the use of offsite habitat banks and Statutory Credits. Offsite options are expected to be more costly and in the case of Statutory Credits are priced high in order to ensure these are used as a last resort. It is therefore important to involve an ecologist as early on in the project as possible to understand biodiversity net gain requirements and any associated financial implications.
On sites where BNG is required, clients will need to submit a metric completed with the existing habitat information and demonstrate how the increase in biodiversity value will be achieved. Once planning permission is granted, a pre-commencement general biodiversity gain planning condition will be applied. In order to discharge this planning condition, a Biodiversity Gain Plan will need to be submitted confirming how the 10% gain will be achieved, alongside a fully completed version of the Statutory Metric. Where onsite gains are provided a Habitat Management and Monitoring Plan (HMMP) will also be required.
Our team of highly experienced ecologists is proficient in undertaking preliminary and detailed biodiversity net gain assessments of all complexities. We would be happy to talk through any BNG queries you may have.
Our team prides itself on providing accurate, well-written reports efficiently in order to meet all your planning needs. We are able to deliver a whole range of ecology reports in line with best practice guidance which are tailored to the requirements of the site and fit in line with project timescales. We routinely provide the following reports and more:
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