At Ecology by Design, we work with many different types of customer for planning purposes. Perhaps the two main types of client are planners and multidisciplinary consultancies who we work with to deliver a wide variety of projects of varying scales across many sectors. Our aim is to achieve the best outcomes for all, by helping clients to balance the needs of their projects, clients and communities with those of biodiversity.

Our expertise covers:

• The construction of new residential dwellings in both urban and rural settings;

• Housing developments;

• Strategic land and land promoting;

• The creation of schools and public parks;

• Paragraph 79 projects, involving innovative approaches towards ecology;

• Redevelopment and regeneration projects within city centres;

• Infrastructure projects, including sustainable transport routes;

• Leisure, including hotels and outdoor sports facilities;

• Minerals and waste; and

• Renewables, such as solar arrays, battery storage and wind turbines.

For each project, we keep the purpose of the development, and the priorities and aims of our clients at the forefront, to ensure that our recommendations line up with the needs of the project. Our services include:

• High-level scoping surveys to identify major ecological constraints, for example prior to purchase;

• Preliminary ecological appraisals to identify the ecological baseline of a site;

• Protected species surveys, to determine presence / absence of protected species, for example bats, badgers, reptiles and great crested newts;

• Biodiversity impact assessments, to measure the change of ecological value of a site in line with biodiversity net gain requirements;

• Undertaking BREEAM assessments, to secure credits for residential, commercial and mixed-use developments, often spanning multiple phases; and

• Creating habitat management plans to ensure that any ecological features of the site remain in optimal condition and functional in the long-term.

The early involvement of ecologists within a project is hugely beneficial, allowing us to anticipate any requirements for further surveys or licensing, avoid delays, and make recommendations for the scheme design early enough to ensure that there are minimal impacts to ecology and maximum likelihood of achieving net gain. We are a friendly and approachable team, flexible in our approach and open to finding innovative solutions to ecological challenges.