Baker Consultants

Planning a development

What's on the ground?

Whether a greenfield or brownfield site, surveys maybe required to ascertain the quality of the site from a biodiversity perspective or to detect whether any protected species such as bats, invertebrates, badgers, nesting birds or reptiles are present. Ecological factors can be a major hurdle in gaining planning permission, so early site scoping and assessment is vital in understanding what constraints there may be.

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Strategic land developers need to carefully scrutinise any constraints that a potential development site throws up.

An initial desk study and walkover survey can identify any constraints which should be taken into account in purchase negotiations. Mitigating ecological impacts can be expensive and with the legal requirement to secure 10% biodiversity net gain such costs are a legitimate bargaining point. Engage an ecologist early on in the process to make sure you understand what’s on site, what’s close by that might influence your chances of getting planning permission and what you can do to best prepare for any ecology hurdles in the planning process. This is just as important for re-development of existing structures or previously developed land as it is for green-field sites.

Baker Consultants has a long history of working with strategic land developers to assess potential development sites and with local authorities consulting on local plans, and understands how to handle sensitive negotiations with all the various stakeholders involved.

Get in touch to see how we could help with your site.

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Our services

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Ecoacoustics

Using sound to survey species in air, water and soil

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Preliminary Ecological Appraisal

A first look at your development site.

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Arboriculture Assessment and Tree Surveys

How to handle trees and their species.

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Species and Habitat Surveys

Wildlife is not a barrier to development.

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