Planning Services

Longmoor Military Firing Range | Hampshire Avian Ecology worked with the Defence Infrastructure Organisation and Savills Planning to assist with the development of a new target practice range, which for operational reasons had to be within a short distance of a series of military and naval bases. The only suitable location was set within [...]

Overhead Line Network | North Shropshire This £18 million Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project for SP Energy Networks comprises a new 21km overhead electricity line intended to reinforce the electricity network in North Shropshire. Working with a project team responsible for the Development Consent Order submission to the Planning Inspectorate, Avian Ecology undertook a suite [...]

From Former Golf Course, Now Multi Use Development | Lancashire Previous proposals for the re-development of land at the former Ingol Golf Course had been challenging and ultimately unsuccessful, so Avian Ecology was recruited to take a fresh look at the site as part of a new proposal combining extensive public open space, sports facilities and [...]

Advising the Irish Government | Maighne Wind Farm Company Director Howard Fearn was contracted by An Bord Pleanála, the Irish Planning Inspectorate, to advise on a large scale wind farm application case located across Co Kildare and Co Meath.  The proposed development comprises 47 large wind turbines set in 5 geographically separated clusters. This unusual [...]

Large Scale Housing Development | Cheshire We prepared a robust ecological appraisal for a proposed residential development of 200 dwellings for a major house developer. The application was supported by an Extended Phase 1 habitat survey and protected species surveys for bats and great crested newts. To ensure no bat roosts could potentially be affected, [...]

Expert witness services | Suffolk Avian Ecology prepared an Ecological Appraisal for this development, the findings of which were accepted by the local planning authority and Natural England. Although ecology did not form a reason for refusal of planning permission, we were requested to provide Expert Witness support for the Public Inquiry. Following submission of [...]

Environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys Avian Ecology were one of the first consultancies to conduct countrywide environmental DNA (eDNA) surveys for great crested newts across England and Wales. As soon as this new survey method was approved by Natural England (NE) and Natural Resources Wales (NRW) in 2014, we offered our clients this service, with potentially [...]

Trunk Road improvement | mid-Wales We designed and completed a number of bat surveys in the vicinity of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC) for bats on behalf of Gwynedd Council. SAC sites are designated under the EC Habitats Directive with the highest level of protection, so any proposed works in close proximity to them [...]

BREEAM/CfSH Assessments | North West We provided a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE) to help achieve the allocation of BREEAM Ecology Credits for a large industrial development on a former brownfield site. This included consultations with the local planning authority, advising on mitigation measures landscape planting and ongoing site management, including selecting a variety of native [...]

Habitats Regulations Assessment | Lancaster City Council We completed two Habitats Regulations Assessments (HRAs) on behalf of Lancaster City Council in 2014; for a wind energy development and for a retail park. Both projects are located immediately adjacent to the Morecambe Bay Special Protection Area (SPA), so the Council is obliged to undertake a HRA [...]