Important species can be found in the most unlikely circumstances. Carrying out a basic initial ecological survey is therefore good practice in almost any development project. We provide such an initial ecological survey in the form of a combined desk based study and an extended phase 1 habitat survey.
Initial ecological study
The intial ecological study consitst of a deskbased study and an ecological survey in the form of an extended phase 1 habitat survey. The deskbased study comprises consultation of public sources to determine statutory and non-statutory designated sites, the consultation of areal photograph and the consultation of county biological records.
At its core a phase 1 habitat survey is a methodology for the relatively rapid recording of semi-natural vegetation and wildlife habitat. Its purpuse is to enable the identification for the requirements of further detailed ecological survey work as well as to enable to prioritise these further ecological surveys. The enhanced version that is refered to as an extended phase 1 habitat survey includes targeted searches for signs of protected or notable faunal species.
The findings of both the desk based study and the ecological survey will be documented in a concise report. Depending on the outcome of the study this report can be used to formulate a number of simple mitigation and enhancement options a commitment to which can be referred to in the the planning application documents or it can be used to develop and agree a programme of further ecological surveys and the design of advanced mitigation and enhancement solutions.
The presence of protected species, such as bats, great crested newts or reptiles, can require extensive mitigation work. Both the surveys and the mitigation work are often seasonally constraints. The presence of protected species can therefore lead to significant delays in the construction programme. It is therefore essential that the initial ecological study takes place early in the development process.
