Mitigation and Licenses
Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy provides are range of professional services designed to your needs whilst ensuring that populations of protected species are maintained and where possible enhanced.
Liaison with Statutory Government Conservation Agencies
Good communication is vital when managing complex projects with tight deadlines. Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy is experienced in liaising with staff from Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH), Natural England (NE), Scottish Government Rural Directorate, the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) and local Planning Authorities.
We aim to ensure your project runs as smoothly as possible and that all issues regarding protected species licensing and mitigation are resolved in an efficient, cost effective and timely manner.
Protected Species Licence Applications
If a proposed activity is considered likely to have an impact on a European Protected Species (EPS), an EPS licence may be required from Scottish Natural Heritage in Scotland or Natural England in England before any work can go ahead.
As part of a licence application the following tests will need to be satisfied:
- Why the proposed activity is necessary;
- Why there is no other satisfactory course of action and
- Why the proposed activity will not be detrimental to the maintenance of the population of the species concerned at a favourable conservation status in their natural range. This will involve the preparation of a Mitigation Plan.
Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy will guide you through the licence application process and prepare applications on your behalf.
Protected Species Mitigation Plans
A Mitigation Plan is required as part of the EPS licence application process and should include methodology detailing how the long term conservation status of the local and UK protected species populations will be maintained and where possible enhanced.
Natural England (NE) and Scottish Natural Heritage (SNH) are the licensing authorities in England and Scotland, respectively, for species protected at a UK level but not included in European legislation such as badgers and red squirrel.
There are also some protected species, such as water voles and adder, for which there is no licensing system. In these cases, the scope of mitigation, some times referred to as a Method Statement, is agreed at local level with Scottish Natural Heritage or Natural England Area Offices.
Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy can advise on mitigation to be included in your development proposals, prepare a Mitigation Plans for submission with a protected species licence application and produce Method Statements agreed with your local SNH or Natural England Area Office.
Ecological 'Watching briefs' and Contract Supervision
If required as part of the Mitigation Plan or Method Statement, Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy can provide a 'watching brief'. This will involve an ecologist remaining on site during sensitive development works in order to monitor progress and provide advice and contingency measures for new or unexpected ecological issues as they arise.
We are also able to provide contract supervision for the implementation of mitigation measures outlined in Mitigation Plans or Method Statements.
Post-development Protected Species Monitoring Programmes
Where mitigation is a condition of a planning permission, it is important that robust monitoring programmes are put in place to assess the success of the mitigation measures and to trigger any remedial measures should they fail.
Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy is experienced in developing and implementing monitoring proposals and recommends that monitoring proposals are agreed early in the planning phase of your development.
Habitat Management
In some cases mitigation may require the restoration or creation of new habitat to compensate for loss of habitat that has occurred as a result of a new development.
Stuart Spray Wildlife Consultancy can provide advice on habitat restoration, the creation of new habitats and produce management plans for habitat creation and habitat enhancement schemes.
