ESS Ecology

High quality ecological impact assessments for developments, including habitat and species surveys for terrestrial, freshwater and marine ecology.

Planners - Ecological Consultancy Services

ESS Ecology has substantial experience in providing cost effective ecological services, guaranteeing your developments proceed whilst adhering to the requirements of nature conservation legislation as implemented through national and local planning policy.  By contacting us at the outset of a project we are able to deliver you a fully tailored service with solutions that can be incorporated at the design stage of your project rather than having to amend your project layout around ecological constraints –saving you costly delays in the project schedule.  Our key strength lies within our early involvement and in our willingness to maintain regular communication with the local planning authority and other key stakeholders throughout the life of the project.

We specialise in protected species surveys, assessments, reporting, mitigation and monitoring.  Our main experience lies in our knowledge of Schedule 1 category developments and we know that projects of this size and often smaller require full Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA). ESS Ecology can undertake on your behalf all aspects of the Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA); producing the ecology chapters following the current guidelines as set out be the Insitute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM), which inform the wider environmental statement (ES) as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) process.

What ESS Ecology can do for you:

• Liaise with the appropriate bodies, such as the local authority and the statutory consultees on your behalf
• Ecological screening studies of potential sites to highlight any ecological constraints
• Ecological scoping studies (including desk based research) to highlight any constraints before you submit a planning application
• Carry out species and habitat specific surveys (including terrestrial, freshwater and marine)
• Conduct a full and thorough Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
• Produce reports and graphics with GIS using a pre-defined structure and format if required
• Recommend and design ecological mitigation schemes making sure you adhere to the legal requirements of the planning process
• Aid your application for the relevant protected species license(s)
• Provide you with ongoing ecological monitoring studies to measure the effectiveness of the implemented mitigation strategies
• Provide you with advice on habitat enhancement, habitat compensation and habitat restoration
• Undertake habitat creation
• Provide specialised ecological input for Land Use and Ecology BREEAM assessments; and
• Act as an expert witness at public inquiries.

ESS Ecology can also provide you with a tailor made CPD seminar relating to protected species and the requirements within the planning system.  If you would like more further information on this or for more details on any of our services please fill out our contact form.