Badgers are protected in Britain under the ‘Protection of Badgers Act 1992’ and Schedule 6 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended).

The legislation affords protection to Badgers and Badger setts, and makes it a criminal offence to:

• willfully kill, injure, take, possess or cruelly ill-treat a Badger, or to attempt to do so;
• interfere with a sett by damaging or destroying it;
• to obstruct access to, or any entrance of, a Badger sett; or
• to disturb a Badger when it is occupying a sett.

All 18 species of British bat are protected by The ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended) extended by the ‘Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000’ (CRoW Act). This legislation makes it an offence to:

• intentionally kill, injure or take a bat;
• possess or control a bat;
• intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to a bat roost; and
• intentionally or recklessly disturb a bat whilst it occupies a bat roost.

Bats are also European Protected Species listed on Schedule 2 of the ‘Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017’ under Regulation 41. This legislation makes it an offence to:

• deliberately capture, injure or kill a bat;
• deliberately disturb bats in such a way as to be likely to (a) impair their ability to: (i) survive, breed or reproduce, or to rear or nurture their young, or (ii) in the case of animals of a hibernating or migratory species, to hibernate or migrate; or b), to affect significantly the local distribution or abundance of the species to which they belong; and
• damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place of a bat; and
• possess, control, transport, sell, exchange a bat, or offer a bat for sale or exchange.

All bat roosting sites receive legal protection even when bats are not present.

Where it is necessary to carry out an action that could result in an offence under the ‘Conservation of

Habitats and Species Regulations 2017’  it is possible to apply for a European Protected Species (EPS) licence from Natural England (NE). Three tests must be satisfied before this licence (to permit otherwise prohibited acts) can be issued:

• Regulation 53(2)(e) states that licences may be granted to “preserve public health or public safety or other imperative reasons of overriding public interest including those of a social or economic nature and beneficial consequences of primary importance for the environment.”
• Regulation 53(9)(a) states that a licence may not be granted unless “there is no satisfactory alternative”.
• Regulation 53(9) (b) states that a licence cannot be issued unless the action proposed “will not be detrimental to the maintenance of the population of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in their natural range”.

All species of bird are protected under Section J of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended). The protection was extended by the ‘CRoW Act’.

The legislation makes it an offence to intentionally:

• kill, injure or take any wild bird;
• take, damage or destroy the nest of any wild bird while that nest is in use or being built; or
• take or destroy an egg of any wild bird.

Certain species of bird are listed on Schedule 1 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended) and receive protection under Sections 1(4) and 1(5) of the Act. The protection was extended by the ‘CRoW Act’. The legislation confers special penalties where the above-mentioned offences are committed for any such bird and also makes it an offence to intentionally or recklessly:

• disturb any such bird, whilst building its nest or it is in or near a nest containing dependent young; or
• disturb the dependent young of such a bird.

Great Crested Newt are listed on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receive full protection under Section 9. These species are also listed as European Protected Species on Schedule 2 of the ‘Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017’ which gives them full protection under Regulation 41. Protection was extended by the ‘CRoW Act’.

Under the above legislation, it is an offence to:  

• kill, injure or take an individual of such a species;
• possess any part of such species either alive or dead;
• intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place or structure used by such species for shelter, rest, protection or breeding;
• intentionally or recklessly disturb such a species whilst using any place of shelter or protection; or
• sell or attempt to sell any such species.

The Great Crested Newt is included as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) and also as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity in England under Section 74 of the ‘CRoW Act’.

The Dormouse is on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receives full protection under Section 9. This species is also listed as European Protected Species on Schedule 2 of the ‘Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017’, which gives them full protection under Regulation 41. Protection was extended by the ‘CRoW Act’.

Under the above legislation, it is an offence to:

• kill, injure or take an individual of such a species,
• possess any part of such species either alive or dead;
• intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place or structure used by such species for shelter, rest, protection or breeding;
• intentionally or recklessly disturb such a species whilst using any place of shelter or protection; or
• sell or attempt to sell any such species.

The Dormouse is included as a Priority Species in the UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UKBAP) and also as a species of principal importance for the conservation of biological diversity in England under Section 74 of the ‘CRoW Act’.

Otters are on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receive full protection under Section 9. This species is also listed under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) and as a Species of Principle Importance (SPI) under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (NERC) 2006.

The water vole is on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receives full protection under Section 9. This species is also listed as a Species of Principle Importance (SPI) under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (NERC) 2006.

Therefore for both species, it is an offence to:

• intentionally or deliberately kill or injure any individual of such a species;
• intentionally or recklessly disturb such a species whilst using any place of shelter or protection; or
• intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place or structure used by such species for shelter, rest, protection or breeding.

Common Lizards, Grass Snakes, Slow-worm and Adders are listed under Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), in respect of Section 9(5) and part of Section 9(1). This protection was extended by the ‘CRoW Act’.

Under the above legislation, it is an offence to:  

• intentionally or deliberately kill or injure any individual of such a species; or
• sell or attempt to sell any part of the species alive or dead.

Sand lizards and Smooth snakes are designated as ‘European Protected Species’ under the EU Habitats Directive, which provides additional protection. This makes it an offence to deliberately or recklessly:

• capture, injure or kill animals of such species;  
• disturb animals of such species;  
• take or destroy the eggs of such an animal; or
• damage or destroy a breeding site or resting place of such an animal

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost.  

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.  

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost. Our costs for a PRA survey start from £350+VAT, following the PRA we will be able to discuss if further surveys are required and if so, the costs of these surveys.

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost.  

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.  

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost.  

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.  

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity, number of waterbodies on site, and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost. Our HSI surveys start from £350+VAT, with follow up trapping/torching surveys for population assessment start from £1,799+VAT.

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.  

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The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost.  

Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.  

The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity all playing their part in the total cost. Our costs start from £399+VAT. Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.

Different bird species will nest in a variety of habitats, these may include hedgerows, trees, dense scrub or barns/old buildings. Whilst lakes, rivers and wetlands will commonly support schedule 1 species or overwintering birds.

Reptiles require a mix of habitat types to support their needs. This includes areas for basking (e.g. south facing slopes), hibernation (e.g. walls, piles of hardcore/wood) and foraging (e.g. rough grassland/scrub).

Should GCN be present on site then prior to the commencement of works a trapping and translocation scheme should be undertaken.

This consists of the construction of drift fencing around the site, along which a series of pitfall traps and refuge matting should be placed. These are then checked every morning for up to 90 days depending on the GCN population size. Any individuals trapped will be translocated to the pre-defined receptor site.

It is important to maintain the drift fencing for the entirety of the works to ensure GCN don’t re-enter the site.

It is a new scheme by Natural England to reduce the need for traditional mitigation licences. It allows suitable habitats and even individuals to be harmed, by ensuring the provision of suitable habitats off-site via a conservation payment. The aim of the scheme is to reduce the need for traditional, seasonal surveys and create a net gain for GCN at a landscape scale.

The areas that are covered by this scheme have been mapped by Natural England and will be maintained and monitored for 25 years.

Dormice generally use areas of dense woody vegetation. They are most likely to be found where there is a wide diversity of woody species contributing to three-dimensional habitat complexity, several food sources, plants suitable for nest-building material and that have good connectivity to other areas of suitable habitat.

First, a suitable receptor site must be identified, this may mean some enhancement such as refuge creation is required. Once the receptor site is set up artificial refugia is placed out on site and checked on a daily basis, and any reptiles seen are caught and moved to the receptor site.

Timeframes will depend on the population size on site.

Ideally, plans should be looked at with an aim of retaining suitable habitat, if this isn’t possible then mitigation will be required. This includes:

• Persuading the dormice to move from the habitat that will be affected. This method should only be used if the habitat loss is less than 100m and the remaining habitat is connected to a larger dormouse suitable habitat.
• The removal of narrow strips of vegetation no larger than the dormouse home range of 50 m. This method is only appropriate if the land lost is part of a large, continuous area of habitat.
• Clear the area carefully by hand.
• Use nest boxes to make the adjacent area of habitat more attractive.
• Clear trees and shrubs during the winter months (November – March), which will create a less favourable habitat when they come out of hibernation. Removal of ground-level vegetation can commence when they are expected to have emerged from hibernation (by the end of May).
• If a strip of woodland is to be removed, it should be less than 50m wide and the remaining habitat is connected to a larger dormouse suitable habitat.
• Dormouse bridges have been used for some sites to allow dormice to cross between habitats that have been fragmented. But the gap between habitats must be less than 100m.
• Translocation, but only as a last resort if the project is too large for persuasion and there is no connected suitable habitat.

Otter surveys can be undertaken all year round as otters are always active. However, May to September is the optimum period due to water levels fluctuating less.

Water vole surveys should be undertaken from mid-April to June and with a second survey from July to September, as this covers the most active period for water vole.

Initial daytime surveys such as a Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA) can be undertaken at any time of the year.

Following the initial visit we can advise you if any further surveys are necessary (e.g. activity surveys or bat emergence surveys), to fully establish the presence or absence of bats.

These follow on surveys are undertaken between May and August. Occasionally there is the ability for surveys to start earlier in the year, but this is weather dependent. Similarly, we can also survey well into September, but not where maternity roosts may be present, as most bats could have already dispersed.

Hibernation surveys should be undertaken in December, January and February.

Aerial tree surveys can be completed at any time throughout the year and are used to provide a recommendation for further surveys.