Project Description
The Grange Solar Farm, Nottinghamshire
Avian Ecology provided ecological support for a solar farm based in Nottinghamshire. This involved a range of baseline surveys and reporting including writing an Ecological Assessment report, eDNA report, Biodiversity Management Plan and Biodiversity Impact Assessment using the Defra Metric 2.0. Clear client liaison has been crucial throughout the project, with a number of site amendments. Avian Ecology ensured that all constraints and opportunities were reviewed at every point and reports updated accordingly, meeting the client’s deadlines.
Thanks to Avian’s input, planning permission was approved. We then undertook conditioned pre-commencement surveys and delivered a badger mitigation strategy for the species. Badgers were found to have colonised the Site in the intervening time and with Avian’s help, the development scheme was amended to adopt Reasonable Avoidance Measures such as buffers, to ensure works could proceed as planned and legislative compliance was maintained.
We went on to provide Ecological Clerk of Works, which included dormouse supervision for small scale hedgerow removal, toolbox talk, nesting bird checks and badger mitigation supervision. The project has spanned two years and ecology works were completed in late 2020 as scheduled, to the satisfaction of the planning authority and the client.
