Ecology, BNG and Protected Species – Page 5
Ecology surveys, biodiversity net gain, protected species licences and survey seasons.
Ecology, BNG and Protected Species articles – page 5
151 articleseDNA sampling for great crested newts and its window
An eDNA test gives presence or absence for one pond in one season, and only between 15 April and 30 June. Here is how to use it, and the options when the window has passed.
Bat mitigation licences and the three derogation tests
A bat mitigation licence turns on three derogation tests under the Habitats Regulations, not on the planning balance. What each test requires, what Natural England expects, and how the timing shapes a build programme.
What a preliminary roost assessment can conclude
A bat inspection can be done any time of year, but the surveys it triggers run only from May to September. What the assessment covers, what its suitability categories mean, and the conclusions it cannot support.
Degradation before the baseline: the 2020 provision
The biodiversity gain rules contain a backstop. Clear habitat without consent after 30 January 2020 and the baseline is measured as it stood before the clearance, not as the site is found.
Habitat condition assessment: scoring grassland in the metric
Condition is a multiplier in the statutory biodiversity metric, so a single criterion can change the units a parcel carries. Here is how the sheets are applied to grassland and what evidence stands up to review.
The 30-year BNG obligation: who signs what
Biodiversity gains must be maintained for at least 30 years. The securing mechanism is a conservation covenant, a section 106 agreement or a condition, and each binds a different party.
Off-site biodiversity units and statutory credits
Off-site units and statutory credits are the last two tiers of the biodiversity gain hierarchy. Spatial risk multipliers mean the lowest listed price rarely buys the lowest cost per delivered unit.
Otters and holts: survey, protection and works near water
Otter resting places are protected whether or not an animal is present. Here is how surveys are done, which works trigger an offence, and how licensing and mitigation fit a construction programme.
Translocating species-rich grassland: turf, soil and aftercare
Moving species-rich grassland is mitigation of last resort. Here is how donor and receptor sites are assessed, which lifting method suits which profile, and what the metric does with the result.
Biodiversity net gain on outline and phased applications
Phased schemes need an overall biodiversity gain plan plus a plan for each phase, all measured against a baseline fixed at the outline application date. Here is how to set that up.
Trading rules in the statutory biodiversity metric
Trading rules stop a scheme replacing a species-rich grassland with amenity lawn and calling it a gain. They bind before any arithmetic about units happens.
Wintering bird surveys on open farmland sites
A wintering bird survey runs October to March and cannot be compressed. On farmland near an estuary or a special protection area, missing the window costs a full year.
Bat roost types and how each changes mitigation design
The roost type recorded on your site decides the mitigation. A day roost behind a hanging tile and a maternity roost in a warm loft void lead to very different drawings.
Swift bricks, bat boxes and conditioning integrated features
A nest brick at 2.4 metres above a lit kitchen window will never be occupied. What to specify, where to put it and how to evidence installation.
Recreational disturbance zones, SANGs and mitigation payments
New homes bring dog walkers, and ground-nesting birds abandon nests. Why an ordinary scheme five kilometres from a heath needs land, a payment and an agreement.
Invasive species on site: knotweed, balsam and schedule 9
Having knotweed is not an offence. Spreading it is, and so is moving contaminated soil as ordinary muck-away. The survey, treatment and disposal duties explained.
Habitats Regulations Assessment: screening and the next stage
The council is the competent authority, not you. What a shadow habitats regulations assessment has to contain, and why mitigation cannot be used to screen a project out.
Nutrient neutrality: what an applicant has to show
Nutrient neutrality needs a budget the council can rely on and mitigation it can be certain about. Here is the calculation, the mitigation routes and the securing mechanisms.
Hedgerow removal notices under the 1997 Regulations
Removing a farm hedge needs a notice, not an application. Here is the 42 day procedure, the importance criteria, the exemptions and what happens if you get it wrong.
Hazel dormouse surveys: nest tubes, nut searches, licences
A defensible dormouse survey needs an index of probability score of 20 or more, which takes most of the season. Here is the effort, the licensing position and what reviewers should check.
Barn owls in agricultural buildings and what to provide
A barn owl roost is the most common reason a barn conversion stalls after prior approval. The Schedule 1 disturbance offence, the survey evidence, the timing question and how replacement provision is designed and conditioned.
Nesting birds: the season, the offence and the conditions
All wild bird nests are protected while in use or being built, with no development exemption. How the nesting season affects clearance programmes, what Schedule 1 adds, and how councils word the standard condition.
Reptile presence surveys, refugia and receptor sites
Reptile surveys use artificial refugia checked over at least seven visits between April and October. The survey is the straightforward part. Finding, fencing and securing a receptor site is what shapes the programme and the budget.
Great crested newt eDNA surveys and the window
eDNA tells you whether newts are breeding in a pond this spring, not how many. The fixed window, habitat suitability scoring, access problems and residual risk.
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