Client: Nottingham Community Housing Association, Norse Homes and Erewash Borough Council
Site Name: Harrington Avenue, Borrowash, DE72 3JE
Site Type: Housing
Services Provided: Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Report (PEA), Biodiversity Net Gain Report (BNG) and Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
Due to the potential presence of protected habitats and species, a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) and Biodiversity Net Gain Report (BNG) were undertaken to determine ecological constraints and inform necessary mitigation and enhancement actions.
Elton Ecology suggested within the PEA that Precautionary measures should be used during construction to protect foraging and commuting wildlife, including badgers, hedgehogs, birds, amphibians, and reptiles. Any required lighting must be wildlife-sensitive, in line with BCT & ILP (2018) guidelines. New close-boarded fencing should include 13cm x 13cm gaps to enable hedgehog movement across the site. Through these recommendations, the development was allowed to continue without any major setbacks, such as seasonally constrained Stage 2 ecology surveys.
The BNG assessment that Elton Ecology produced demonstrated that a biodiversity net gain in habitats (10.61%) could be achieved by using the prevailing biodiversity metric calculation (Statutory Metric). This meant that a 10% Biodiversity Net Gain could be achieved within the development through the recommendations from Elton Ecology, avoiding the need for the client to purchase off-site biodiversity units.
Planning consent was secured as Erewash Borough Council granted planning permission with conditions to Nottingham Community Housing Association and Norse Homes.
Elton Ecology were subsequently commissioned to complete a Biodiversity Gain Plan.
Planning a development? Our expert Ecology and Arboriculture services are here to support your application and help secure planning consent—Contact us to learn more.
Elton Ecology are a Registered Practice of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), committing us to industry leading standards of professional practice. We deliver the best outcomes for our clients and reduce risk for planning applications.
