, Author at ProHort

Ecological Reports – Why Are They Important And Why Might I Need One?

Ecological reports can be incredibly crucial to the planning of any development. In essence, an ecological survey will classify and map any wildlife habitats as well as identifying any flora and fauna currently located on site.

Ecological Reports

There are many reasons why an ecological report should be completed at an early stage, including the following:

They may be a requirement of the local planning authority – when talking to your local authority, they will require an ecological appraisal of any commercial development or any development above a certain size. Please do liaise with your authority at the earliest opportunity, to find out what might be needed.
You may need to allow for additional costs or resources that have a positive impact on biodiversity – the National Planning Framework stipulates that any development should have a positive impact on the biodiversity of any area. An ecological survey, conducted at an early stage, will be your baseline measurement for this. The ecologist may also be able to suggest ideas once the survey has been completed.
Any endangered species will be highlighted – as an example, should bats roost on your property, you may only be alerted to their presence by an ecological survey. A specialist bat survey can then be carried out to provide you with more information.
Any dangerous or invasive species will be highlighted – again, as an example, your ecological report may highlight the presence of Japanese knotweed. This invasive weed can damage any property, fencing or hard paving that you may have on site. By being notified of its presence, a specialist surveyor can be brought in to arrange any treatments needed.

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Ecological surveys can be costly and may take time to arrange. However, the most cost and time-effective method is to have one completed at the start of your development, to highlight any potential issues and to allow you to budget for any biodiversity or habitat mitigation you may need to put in place. Please contact ProHort to find out more about our range of ecological surveys, and how they may help with your development.

Biodiversity and Planning Permission – Update

The Environment Bill has been recently updated to increase the level of biodiversity on sites and ensure that all sites meet set biodiversity requirements. Find out more about Biodiversity and Planning Permission…

Previously, Local Planning Authorities were only able to impose planning conditions that were in line with the National Policy Planning Framework. However, the ultimate decision of whether to impose those conditions or not ultimately rested with the Local Planning Authority.

Now, a mandatory condition is being imposed on all development projects.

The Environment Bill now requires any development site to establish a 10% biodiversity net gain before any work is carried out on the site. The assessment of what 10% should amount to and how it will be addressed must be set out in a report by the developer and agreed with the Local Planning Authority. If, for any reason, the 10% gain cannot be facilitated on the site, then it should be gained elsewhere – for example, by planting on neighbouring or council owned land. The Local Planning Authority would need to be consulted on this as the decision on whether a net gain on another site is acceptable would need to be approved by them.

ProHort recommends that your on-site ecology is surveyed as soon as possible and the assessment of what the 10% net gain will amount to is completed as soon as is reasonably practicable. This will mean that your development can be tailored to embed the 10% gain, rather than this being an afterthought, as this may end up being costly.

Contact Us Today – Biodiversity and Planning Permission:

Should you need any help with your planning application, please do get in touch to discuss what we can do for you!

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How Often Should I Have My Trees Surveyed?

Do I Need My Trees Surveyed?

oHort recommends that you have your trees surveyed at least once every two years. Most insurers and governing bodies recommend that trees are surveyed ‘regularly’ but often fail to provide more exact guidance. Claims can be made against a property on behalf of any individual.

There have been several occasions where organisations have been liable. One example of this is an incident in Birmingham where a 92-year-old woman was killed by a 60ft tree. An investigation took place and it was found that the tree had not been surveyed for over two years. Therefore, there was no relevant documentation on the overall health of the tree. This led to a fine of £150,000 being brought against the proprietor along with the possibility of civil proceedings against the landowner by the family of the deceased.

Similarly, in 2012, a woman who visited Kew Gardens was killed by a falling tree branch. However, Kew Gardens were not found to be liable. They were protected because the tree in question had been inspected 12 months before the incident. Due to the recent tree survey and completed tree risk assessment, the jury found “no identifiable cause of branch failure from this tree that caused this tragic accident.” This shows how important it is to get your trees surveyed regularly!

Surveying Damaged Trees:

We also recommend that any damaged trees are surveyed as and when you notice the damage. Most commonly, damage is caused by storms or freak weather but may also be caused by animals or insects.

Finally, we advise that a tree survey is conducted before any construction or landscaping work is carried out on your site, to see whether the proposed work may affect your trees. A survey may also need to be carried out after the work, if you suspect any trees may have been affected during the project.

If any of the above applies to you, find out more about our tree surveys on our services page, or contact us to arrange a survey!

Reference – https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2014/jun/16/woman-killed-falling-branch-kew-gardens-coroners-court-accidental-death

Subsidence – The Number 1 Property Nightmare

Subsidence is the sudden sinking or gradual downward settling of the grounds surface. This can be caused by natural processes or human activities. A recent study by Yes Homebuyers has revealed that subsidence is the number one property nightmare for homebuyers as it can devalue your home by up to 20%! According to the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the average price of a house in the North East is £141,000, meaning you could have nearly £30,000 knocked off the price of your home due to subsidence!

One of the most common causes of subsidence is trees. Clay soils often expand or shrink depending on the moisture content. During drier periods of the year trees tend to draw water from the soil, in turn causing the clay soil to shrink. As a result of this, the foundations of any neighbouring properties move, and cracks start to appear.

Typically, these cracks are 3mm wide and get wider closer to the bottom. Over time, these cracks continue to develop and can cause significant damage as they grow. Trees, bushes, and hedgerows amount to 60% of recorded cases of subsidence!

Here at ProHort we provide detailed tree related Subsidence Reports, identifying the cause of any subsidence (including pinpointing which tree is causing it) and offering any recommendations we feel necessary. If you have any concerns regarding tree related subsidence, please do contact us today!