The Issue

To inform a planning application to East Staffordshire Borough Council Local Planning Authority for the creation of a detached building, the planning officer requested that an ecology survey be carried out at the site to inform any constraints to the proposals. Details of ecological enhancements for the scheme were also requested.

Our Solution

Elton Ecology were commissioned to carry out an Ecological Impact Assessment of the site, which included:

• A Desk Study including for designated sites of nature conservation and historical ecological records at the site and surrounding area.
• A Preliminary Bat Roost Assessment of a building to be demolished under the proposals.
• A Phase 1 Habitat Survey was undertaken, compiling a botanical species list to classify the habitats at the site, which was extended to consider protected species such as badger and great crested newt.

No evidence of protected species was observed during the Extended Phase 1 Habitat survey. The building was assessed as offering negligible bat roosting suitability. The habitats at the site to be affected by the works were limited to common and widespread habitats of low conservation value, comprising amenity grassland and hardstanding.

Mature oak trees and hedgerow were present at the site peripheries, which were of conservation value. The scheme was able to retain these features, and our report set out reasonable avoidance measures during works to protect the ecological interest of these features, such as buffer zones. A detailed bat and bird box biodiversity enhancement scheme was set out.

We determined that via simple avoidance, mitigation and enhancement measures, there would not be impacts on ecological features and no further surveys were required. We issued an Ecological Impact Assessment Report setting out the avoidance and enhancement measures for the scheme to the client, which was accepted by the Local Planning Authority.