Blog
IMPROVING ECOLOGICAL VALUE VIA BIODIVERSITY NET GAIN
Miles Haslam, of our Environmental department, on the importance of biodiversity net-gain. Following Chancellor Philip Hammond’s pledge to implement legislation requiring developers to deliver biodiversity net-gain through all projects in his 2019 Spring Statement, our ecologists are attending a series of training events this year. These… Read More
COULD WE REALLY BE ON THE WAY TO REALISING A REFORM OF THE BUSINESS RATES SYSTEM?
Last week saw something we have been hoping for a long time; an inquiry was launched by the Treasury Committee to look into how the Government’s Business rates policies have affected business. Of course, it’s rather long overdue – Business Rating professionals throughout the industry have been pleading for… Read More
WET AND WILD(LIFE)
Rob Harrison, Principal Ecologist, on an important ecological event… We’re just a couple of weeks away from a pretty important day in the environmental calendar. World Wetlands Day takes place on Saturday February 2nd February, raising awareness for this vital ecosystem. The global awareness day aims to heighten appreciation… Read More
ECO-WATCH: WHAT DEVELOPERS NEED TO KNOW AND DO ABOUT WILDLIFE ON-SITE
From bats to badgers and nesting birds to newts; there are a whole host of protected species (26,427, in fact!)* that can delay development plans, should they not be identified and rehomed properly. Turning a blind eye to the presence of Great Crested Newts on a piece… Read More
MEET THE NEWBIES
Harris Lamb has been on the recruitment trail in recent weeks, having welcomed a host of new faces to the team – and one familiar one. Since launching its Environmental Department in February this year, the business has been inundated with projects, and Dr Holly Smith has… Read More
BIODIVERSITY IMPACT CALCULATIONS EXPLAINED
Principal Ecologist Rob Harrison reports on the recent Biodiversity Impact Calculations course run by Balfour Beatty on behalf of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM): Biodiversity Impact Calculations are a useful tool for determining how development impacts natural resource. It provides… Read More
Three Jump Into The Saddle for Pledge 150
Eat your heart our Bradley Wiggins: While most of us are putting on more layers and deciding that it’s time to put on the heating and stay indoors, three of Harris Lamb’s more sporting team players donned their cycle gear and helmets this week to hit the road in an… Read More
BACK ON THE TRAINING TRAIL…
Last weekend saw the Worcester City 10k run, and as usual, our resident road runner Fiona Mellor donned her trainers to take to the streets. One of 2,200 people taking part in the event, Fiona completed the course in 55 minutes. L-R, Fiona,… Read More
BATS AND BUILDINGS
SURVEY SEASON IS DRAWING TO A CLOSE With just one month left of the core bat activity season, developers have just a matter of weeks to seek surveys ahead of submitting planning applications requiring the demolition of buildings this year. As a European protected species, local authorities can require bat surveys… Read More
FANCY (ISH) FOOTWORK HELPS RAISE £1,200 FOR DUDLEY MIND
Okay, so the England Roses probably don’t have much to worry about YET, but this week saw Team HL make its netball debut in the Higgs & Sons mixed charity tournament. Our eight-strong squad (L-R: Simon, Tom, Olivia, Fiona, John, Alex, Holly and Suzi) was one of… Read More
FANCY FOOTWORK FOR A GREAT CAUSE
This week saw Harris Lamb compete in the Higgs & Sons charity football tournament in aid of Dudley Mind. The event raised a massive £10,000 and saw 43 teams take part. Captain Tom Morley (or Tomaldo as we’re calling him this week) reports: We were in… Read More
SPRING STATEMENT 18: IS THE 2021 REVALUATION PLEDGE JUST ANOTHER PIECE TO FIT INTO THE RATING JIGSAW?
By Andrew Hulbert, Director The latest twist in the revaluation tale was unlikely to be welcomed as long as problems with the current Check Challenge Appeal system continued to prove problematic. Philip Hammond’s pledge in the Spring Statement to bring forward 2022’s Revaluation to 2021 came hot on the heels… Read More
TEAM HL ARE ON THE BALL
Team HL donned their shin-pads and yellow shirts this week to take part in Telereal Trillium’s five-a-side football tournament. Captain Tom Morley reports… We’re always up for a bit of healthy competition at Harris Lamb, so an invitation to take on a selection of… Read More
INVESTING IN NOTTINGHAM: WHERE TO FOCUS WHEN THE STUDENT ACCOMMODATION BUBBLE BURSTS
By Rob Haigh, Agency At the beginning of this year, I was asked by thebusinessdesk.com to make a few predictions for 2018, and one of those was my conviction that residential developers will continue to focus on the conversion of redundant upper floor… Read More
GOVERNMENT LAYS DOWN 20 PER CENT INCREASE IN PLANNING FEES
An increase of 20 per cent will be applied to all existing planning application fees as a result of new regulations brought in earlier this month. The House of Lords approved the regulations that introduce the fee increase, along with other changes to the fees regime, in December. The changes… Read More