PROTECTING CLIENTS AGAINST PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT DELAYS

When it comes to the welfare of the UK’s ecosystem, the number of protected species might surprise you. Be they badgers, birds or bats, there are more than 25,000 types of protected species (26,427* to be precise!) that, unless they are identified and rehomed correctly, can cause serious delays and costly consequences for development plans.

For example; should a developer choose to ignore the presence of Great Crested Newts on a piece of land they’ve earmarked for planning permission, they could find themselves slapped with a £5,000 fine PER NEWT, as well as the threat of time behind bars, while nesting birds, bats and badgers all have detailed instructions regarding their welfare, all of which must be taken into account and demonstrated before permissions can be granted and development begins.

As such, determining the presence of wildlife on development land is something that needs to be given the highest priority, and our experienced CIEEM-accredited Environment team is on hand to provide clients with all the support they need.

There are clear activity windows throughout the year where key surveys need to be carried out and actions taken if the presence of such species are identified, as our at-a-glance eco calendar shows.

Missing one of these windows can cause costly delays, so it’s well worth clients making themselves aware of what they need to be aware of and taking account of in the coming months, and taking the necessary steps to ensure any sites being submitted for planning permission are given the all clear.

Call our team on 0121 455 9455 to seek advice or book a survey.

*according to the Joint Nature Conservation Committee taxon list, to include red list data inverts and rare bryophytes.