Specialist Beaver Surveys for planning and development across Sussex, supporting projects affecting rivers, wetlands and connected freshwater habitats as beaver recovery progresses across the county.
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Beavers are returning to Sussex following an absence of hundreds of years, with licensed projects now established across several of the county’s river catchments.
Current projects include beavers within the Adur, Ouse and Wey catchments, while further work is underway to explore the future establishment of free living populations.
A Beaver Survey may be requested where proposed works could affect beavers, their breeding or resting sites, or habitats they rely upon.
This may include:
The presence of suitable freshwater habitat does not automatically mean a Beaver Survey is required.
Where an LPA requests further ecological information, ProHort can undertake the appropriate assessment and provide clear ecological evidence to support the planning application.
Sussex contains an extensive freshwater network extending from the South Downs and High Weald towards the English Channel.
Important river systems include the Arun, Adur, Ouse, Western Rother and Cuckmere, together with smaller rivers, streams, wetlands and floodplain habitats.
The Environment Agency divides much of Sussex between major management catchments including Arun and Western Streams, Adur and Ouse, Cuckmere and Pevensey Levels and the River Rother.
This creates a varied planning environment encompassing rural land, major towns, coastal development and important designated landscapes.
Depending on the location of the development, the relevant LPA may include councils across both East and West Sussex, as well as the South Downs National Park Authority.
Where beavers or protected breeding and resting sites could be affected, the LPA may require sufficient ecological information to understand potential impacts before determining an application.
Early ecological input can help provide the information requested by the LPA and reduce the risk of protected species matters causing avoidable delays.
You may need a badger survey in Sussex if your project involves:
Excavation, trenching, or groundwork near hedgerows or woodland around Brighton, Chichester, or Eastbourne
Rural housing plots, barn conversions, or farm developments near Horsham or Haywards Heath
Clearance of scrub, earth banks, or embankments around Crawley or Bognor Regis
Works along field margins, ditches, or rural tracks in the surrounding countryside
A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) highlighting badger activity or habitat potential
A postcode check can confirm whether your local planning authority (LPA) is likely to request a survey.
We conduct badger surveys across Sussex, covering major towns and surrounding villages including Brighton, Chichester, Eastbourne, Hastings, Horsham, Haywards Heath, Crawley, Bognor Regis, Lewes, and Worthing.
Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended)
Eurasian beavers are a European Protected Species. The legislation protects beavers from deliberate killing, injury, capture and disturbance, and protects their breeding sites and resting places from damage or destruction.
Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended)
Provides additional legal protection relevant to beavers, including controls relating to certain methods of capture and their release into the wild.
For development in Sussex, proposed works that could affect beavers, their breeding or resting sites, or important supporting habitat may require appropriate ecological assessment, mitigation and, in some circumstances, a Natural England licence.
ProHort provides proportionate, evidence led advice and reporting to help support a compliant route through planning.
Knepp Wildland in West Sussex is at the centre of beaver recovery in the county. A pair of beavers was introduced to an enclosure at Knepp in 2020, with a new pair subsequently released in 2022.
Beavers then bred successfully, producing the first young born in Sussex for centuries. There are now several generations living within the approximately 250 hectare project area. The site lies within a sub catchment of the River Adur, making the wider Adur system particularly important to Sussex's developing beaver recovery.
In early 2026, beaver activity was also reported outside the Knepp Estate. These reports are being followed up and should not currently be interpreted as confirmation of an established free living population. Knepp has since been invited to submit a full licence application for free living beavers within the Adur catchment.
For planning and development, this changing situation makes current ecological records particularly important for sites affecting suitable freshwater habitat within the wider catchment.
The River Ouse provides another important local focus for beaver recovery.
In April 2026, a family of seven beavers was released into a fenced private enclosure within the Ouse catchment.
This marked the return of beavers to the catchment after an absence of hundreds of years.
The Ouse Beaver Working Group has also been established to support the longer term objective of creating sustainable free living populations and helping landowners and communities prepare for their return.
The River Ouse and its tributaries extend through a varied landscape from the High Weald towards Lewes and the Sussex coast, creating an extensive network of river, stream, floodplain and wetland habitats.
The current animals remain enclosed. Development elsewhere within the Ouse catchment should therefore not automatically be treated as affecting beavers simply because it falls within the same river system.
The Western Rother catchment provides another distinct planning context.
In 2026, an expression of interest for the release of free living beavers within the Western Rother catchment was accepted by Natural England to progress towards a formal licence application.
The Western Rother flows through rural West Sussex before joining the River Arun at Pulborough.
The wider Arun and Western Streams catchment covers approximately 1,490 square kilometres and includes the Western Rother, River Arun and smaller coastal streams.
The potential release remains subject to the licensing process and should not be presented as evidence that free living beavers are already established throughout the catchment.
However, it demonstrates how quickly the ecological context surrounding Sussex development could change.
For projects affecting rivers and wetlands, current records should therefore be considered rather than relying solely on historic absence.
Our specialist ecology team assesses suitable habitat and identifies evidence of beaver activity, including feeding signs, tracks, burrows, lodges and dams.
You receive clear, planning ready advice identifying any ecological constraints and the appropriate recommendations for your project.
Our reports provide the ecological information needed to help you respond to planning requirements and progress your Sussex project.
We review your plans, site location, freshwater habitats and available ecological information to understand the project and any ecological issues that may need to be addressed.
Our ecologists survey suitable watercourses and connected habitats for beaver activity, including feeding signs, tracks, burrows, lodges and dams.
We assess how the proposed works could affect beavers, protected features, movement routes and supporting habitat.
You receive a clear, LPA ready report setting out the findings and any appropriate avoidance, mitigation, monitoring or licensing recommendations.
Has your LPA requested a Beaver Survey, or are you planning development affecting a Sussex river, stream, wetland or bankside habitat?
ProHort can undertake the appropriate ecological assessment and provide clear, planning ready reporting to help you respond to the LPA’s requirements and progress your project.
Yes. Beavers are currently living in several licensed enclosures in Sussex, including projects associated with the Adur, Ouse and Wey catchments. Several generations are now present at Knepp in West Sussex.
Sussex Wildlife Trust currently describes the established Sussex populations as enclosed. Beaver activity was reported outside Knepp in early 2026 and is being followed up, while proposals for licensed free living populations are progressing. Current records should therefore be checked for individual sites.
The Knepp beavers live within a large enclosure at Knepp Wildland in West Sussex, within a sub catchment of the River Adur. Several generations of beavers are now present.
Yes. A family of seven beavers was released into a private fenced enclosure within the River Ouse catchment in April 2026. The animals should not currently be described as a free living Ouse population.
A proposal for free living beavers within the Western Rother catchment was accepted in 2026 to progress towards a formal licence application. This does not mean that a wild release has already taken place.
No. Proximity to a river, stream or wetland does not automatically establish a survey requirement. The LPA determines what ecological information is required for the planning application.
Potentially. Beaver projects and reported activity make the Adur an increasingly relevant catchment. Current records, habitat suitability, site evidence and the proposed works should be considered, with the LPA determining what information is required.
Our ecologists can look for gnawed or felled trees, feeding remains, tracks, slides, scent mounds, burrows, lodges and dams, together with evidence of how beavers may be using the surrounding habitat.
Beaver Surveys can be undertaken throughout the year, although October to March normally provides the most accurate conditions for detecting field signs because bankside vegetation is reduced.
If your Local Planning Authority requests further information relating to beavers, ProHort can undertake the appropriate ecological assessment and provide a clear, LPA ready report to support your planning application.
Where activity or protected features are identified, our ecologists can provide proportionate recommendations for avoidance, mitigation, further monitoring or licensing where applicable, helping you respond to the LPA’s requirements and keep your project progressing.
