Do you need a planning-focused badger survey and sett assessment across Greater Manchester?
We can offer badger surveys backed by clear guidance, proportionate methods, and practical support to keep your project moving on schedule.
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Greater Manchester’s varied landscape includes pockets of woodland, urban fringe greenspace, railway embankments, parks, river corridors and allotment edges offers suitable habitat for badgers. Planning teams frequently request evidence where sett activity or potential habitat is identified.
A badger survey assesses an area to determine whether badgers are present, and whether they could be affected by development. Ecologists look for setts, foraging signs, and activity patterns, sometimes using motion cameras or tracking methods, to understand their distribution. The findings help ensure that construction or land changes avoid disturbing badgers and comply with planning regulations.
You may need a badger survey if your development involves:
hedgerow networks and pasture systems around Wigan
mixed farmland, woodland edges and valley systems near Rochdale
woodland blocks and plantation edges within Bury
farmland and settlement fringes on the outskirts of Bolton
canal corridors, railway cuttings and embankments along routes in Salford
parks, golf courses and estate landscapes on the edges of Trafford
These patterns mean badger activity is often present even where setts are not immediately obvious at the outset.
We support projects across Manchester, Salford, Bolton, Wigan, Rochdale, Oldham, Bury, Stockport, and Tameside, as well as surrounding areas.
Greater Manchester planning authorities require badger survey evidence where setts or suitable habitat are present to ensure development complies with the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and national planning policy. Without early, proportionate surveys, applications are frequently delayed by validation queries, additional planning conditions, or seasonal restrictions, which can stall site programmes or even necessitate redesign.
Our specialist ecology team carries out a Badger Survey to identify setts, activity, and potential risk. You receive a clear, LPA-ready report detailing any required mitigation and timing measures, helping your project stay on schedule and compliant.
We provide practical, planning-ready badger survey evidence, giving your project team clear steps to follow, including:
Mapping badger setts and assessing activity
Identifying sett types (main, annex, subsidiary, outlier)
Evaluating potential impacts for planning purposes
Offering mitigation strategies and method statements
Guidance on licensing when required
Clear instructions for construction teams on-site
Trusted by local planners across Greater Manchester, our reports ensure your project can proceed efficiently.
Send your site details and programme. We confirm the correct level of survey.
Walkovers, sett assess-ments, camera deployment and activity checks.
Planning-ready reports with impact assessment, mitigation options and timelines for site teams.
Only if needed. PEA, EIA, and Protected Species surveys
Need a badger survey in Staffordshire? Let’s confirm your site’s requirements and keep your project on track.
Surveys combine habitat assessments, sett mapping, and observation of signs such as footprints, latrines, and feeding areas to determine where badgers are active.
Yes, with careful planning. Work can proceed if it stays within legal disturbance limits and mitigation measures are followed.
Licensing is only required if construction will directly affect setts. Otherwise, proportionate mitigation is usually sufficient.
While surveys can be conducted year-round, activity is easiest to observe from late winter to early autumn, when badgers are more active above ground.
For planning checks and validation guidance:
Manchester City Council — https://www.manchester.gov.uk/planning/ Manchester City Council+1
Bolton Council — https://www.bolton.gov.uk/planning/ Bolton Council+1
Salford City Council — https://www.salford.gov.uk/planning‑building-and-regeneration/planning-applications/ Salford City Council+1
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council — https://www.stockport.gov.uk/development-plan/
