Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA)

Important habitats and protected species aren't just found in the countryside, many are often found on and near brownfield sites and in our towns and cities. A PEA can both identify where conflict with wildlife legislation is likely and provide solutions saving you time and money. A number of the brownfield sites we have surveyed have had protected species like Dingy Skipper butterflies, Great Crested Newts and badgers on or using them which potentially threatened the development or could have ended in court action if they had been disturbed. By having the surey done early in the development process design changes were made to include the habitat for the protected species within the devvelopment design and actually enhance the site for them. Recent examples of this include:

• Woodland tracks for 4WD karts with orientation and scalloping creating suitable woodland ride habitat for numerous species including Wall-brown butterflies, warblers and slow-worm (see below)
• Landscaping changes to provide forb rich grassland with bird's-foot-trefoil and basking areas for a colony of Dingy Skipper at a land restoration site in Essington, Staffordshire
• Boundary fence and hedge design to including hedgehog entrance, exit points and foraging runs in the rear gardens at a residential development site near Knowle, Warwickshire
• Architectural changes to include Integral bat boxes into the sides of new houses in Aldridge, West Midlands
• Mitigation plan to ensure protection of bats, nesting birds and great crested newts during the construction phase at a development at Streetly, West Midlands

​All of these adaptions provided suitable mitigation, at a relatively small cost creating real biodiversity gain and smoothing the passage of the development  proposals through planning saving time and costly delays.

Djogs offer PEAs at competitive rates, these will include

• a field survey
• baseline ecological report which includes a phase one habitat map with notes on protected species
• a desktop survey sites and protected species records
• guidance on whether further surveys are required e.g. bat, reptile or badger surveys
• analysis of the effect of the development proposal on the ecology of the site
• identify where the development proposal will have a positive effect on ecology
• recommendations for design changes where negative effect on ecology can be avoided and beneficial effects are possible
• mitigation requirements where negative effects cannot be practicably avoided

If you wish to discuss a project at any stage of development please ring and speak to Richard our Ecologist

 

Call us today to discuss your requirements:
01543 762726 or Click here to get in touch