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Ecology Survey

What is an Ecology Survey?

An ecology survey is a study of the plants and animals in a specific area. This includes their interactions with each other and their habitat. An ecology survey is carried out by qualified professionals, such as ourselves, to create an inventory of the living organisms and ecological features in a particular area. The purpose of an ecology survey is to understand the dynamics of the ecosystem and to identify any potential impacts, risks or constraints of a development on the landscape and species living within it. This is to assist developers and the local planning authority in establishing what the next steps are to mitigate the impact on the environment.

What type of Ecology Survey do I need?

There are a range of surveys available, each is suited to a different scenario. They assess the impact that a development project may have on the surrounding environment and go into varying depths of detail depending upon the type of survey that you have.

Ecology surveys and assessments that ProHort Ltd can provide include but are not exclusive to the following:

  • Preliminary Ecological Assessment (previously called the Phase 1 Habitat).
  • Phase 1 Ecology Survey.
  • Phase 1 Extended Survey including Protected Species – Bats, Birds and Mammals.
  • NVC Vegetation Surveys (National Vegetation Classification)
  • UK Habitat Classification.
  • Habitat Regulation Assessments.
  • Ecology Mitigation Plans.
  • Biodiversity Net Gain Assessments including DEFRA.

ecology survey hedgehog

How do I book my Ecology Survey?

Firstly, contact ProHort, we can provide you with a written quote for the survey or assessment you require. Upon the confirmation that you would like to proceed, our specialist ecology consultant will visit the site, as required, to carry out the survey or assessment.

Once the survey has been completed, the consultant will put together your documentation. This will clearly show the results from the survey. This documentation will be sent in the form of a PDF or a physical copy of the report, if required.

 

Contact Us Today!

To find out more about how ProHort Ltd can help you, get in touch with us by calling 01782 479 479 or email us at [email protected].

Biodiversity Net Gain

What is Biodiversity Net Gain? 

Biodiversity and Planning Permission

The term “biodiversity” comes from the term Biological Diversity and refers to the variety of living organisms that can be found in an area of land. This can include animals, plants, insects, bacteria and fungi. The Biodiversity Net Gain initiative is designed to be a method of contributing to the recovery of nature, whilst still developing the land. It came about following the release of the State of Nature report which suggested that there has been a 13% decline in the average wildlife throughout the UK, since the 1970s. It is therefore designed to ensure that the habitat for wildlife is left in a better state than it was before development.

The Biodiversity Net Gain program is currently in its consultation stages and is stated to be mandatory for any new planning applications, except small sites, from January 2024 onwards. Once this comes into place, all planning permissions granted in England will be required to deliver a minimum of 10% biodiversity net gain, under the Environment Act 2021. It is then expected to become mandatory for small sites from April 2024.

This means that anybody looking to develop a site or submit a planning application around these times, will need to be aware of this requirement and ensure that they cater for it in their planning application. To be compliant with Biodiversity Net Gain, property developers must try to avoid any loss of habitat on land that they plan to develop. If this is not possible, developers must attempt to create new habitat either on the site they are developing or in an alternative location off site. If a property developer cannot create a new habitat, they will have the option to buy statutory credits from the government. However, they must provide evidence in order to use this option and it must be a last resort.

In order to assess how a development will change the biodiversity value of the site, a biodiversity assessment must be conducted. ProHort’s team of ecologists can conduct a full biodiversity assessment, using the biodiversity metric to identify the impact that a development will have on the biodiversity value and make recommendations that will help to achieve a biodiversity net gain.

 

Contact Us for more Information on Biodiversity Net Gain:

To find out more about how we can help you, or to get a quote for a Biodiversity assessment, get in
touch now by calling us on 01782 479479 or by emailing [email protected].

Alternatively, you can find out more about the services we offer here.

Why not check out our Facebook page and connect with us on Linkedin?

 

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Has your neighbour been killing your plants?

Surveying Trees

Case Study: 

Our client in Stoke-On-Trent believed their gardener had spilled or sprayed something onto the grass. When we arrived at the property, there was a dog. In some cases the high levels of ammonia in the dogs urine can cause the die back of the lawn. However, on further inspection, that was not the case. 

As seen on the video the damage to the grass either side of the path is quite bad. It looks as if there has been a glyphosate spillage, indicating the gardener may of had a bit of an accident with a knapsack sprayer when they were spraying the path for weeds.

soil health testing
soil sample

We will be taking some blades of grass and soil samples for testing. The test will tell us if there are any additional chemicals in the soil. If you’ve got a problem where maybe you are worried for example your neighbour has sprayed something, because we get a lot of these now where neighbours spray people’s plants and trees and hedges for all sorts of reasons. But if you have those kinds of issues then we can come and have a look at that and give you our expert opinion. Jason Harker, ProHort.

Surveying Trees

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What do we Look for When Surveying Trees?

Surveying Trees

Case Study: 

This tree survey was carried out in Stoke-On-Trent. We surveyed a number of trees on this property, one in particular was a lime tree. It was approximately 60-70 years old and was really nice, good healthy tree, aside from a little bit of dead, however that is quite common in limes. One of the types of things that people ask us is what do you look at when you’re surveying a tree?

 
surveying trees stoke-on-trent

Firstly, we survey to British standards, therefore all of our reports are covered by our £5,000,000 professional indemnity insurance. The report itself covers things like the diameter of the trunk, age of the tree, the spread of the canopy etc… However, we also look at other things such the root system. In this case the roots could easily extend towards the house, as part of the survey we plot, what we expect to be the root zone of the tree to be. This gives the client valuable information, enabling them to see if the tree is likely to have any effect on the foundations and the structure of their property. 

 

If you need a tree survey not only to identify the tree, but from a health and safety point of view or to see if it’s going to have any effect on your house. Then please do get in touch.

Surveying Trees

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Why not check out our Facebook page and connect with us on Linked in?

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