energising customers to drive real environmental change

A Leading Ecology Consultancy in the UK

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making the difficult simple

A Leading Ecology Consultancy in the UK

Enquire Now Our Services

energy, innovation, results

A Leading Ecology Consultancy in the UK

Enquire Now Our Services

Our Ecology Services

We work with you to ensure you meet your objectives, supported by a team of experienced staff to navigate you through your project.

All protected species surveys can be provided including bats, great crested newts, dormice, reptiles, water voles and badgers. We can also offer detailed habitat surveys.

Highly experienced botanical and habitat surveyors with a full ecology service offering.

Barn Owl.jpg — PROTECTED SPECIES SURVEYS

We offer a wide range of protected species surveys and specialists surveys.

We thrive at offering fast, cost effective ecology appraisals aimed at securing you planning permission.

ACCREDITED, EXPERIENCED ECOLOGISTS

We are specialists in ecological impact assessment, ecology survey, licencing and mitigation.

We provide a full range of ecological services from preliminary ecological appraisals through to impact assessments, licence applications, mitigation and monitoring.

All our ecologists are members of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management and work to the Institute’s Code of Professional Conduct, British Standard BS42020 and best practice guidelines. The experience across our team is second to none.

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HOW WE WORK

We quickly provide detailed ecological reports of the highest quality
We exceed expectations and satisfy requirements for planning and beyond
We deploy state of the art technology and innovate throughout the project cycle
We work with you to deliver a sustainable, cost effective solutions that maximises biodiversity benefits.

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WHO ARE ECOLOGY BY DESIGN?

We are a leading independent ecology consultancy based in Oxford with an experienced team of ecologists that work closely with you to solve both simple and complex ecological constraints.

We work throughout the UK and have an enviable track record of delivering projects for a wide range of clients in a wide range of sectors including planning and developments, utilities, and infrastructure.

Case Studies

Hotel Diversification: Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons

We were appointed by Blanc Restaurants Limited to conduct surveys and assessments of Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons. Proposals for the 10.61ha site included extensions and alterations to the existing Grade II* listed buildings and construction of a new wellness spa, residential and recreational villas and pavilions as well as comprehensive landscape modifications.

Battery Storage Site - Derby

A renewable energy company commissioned Ecology by Design to conduct a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) of c. 10ha of land near Derby for a proposed battery storage site in April 2023.

Solar and Battery Storage - Somerset

UKHab

Extended habitat survey and desk study, and surveys for badger, bats, breeding birds, and hazel dormouse; shadow Habitat Regulations Assessment (sHRA) to assess potential impacts of the proposals on the SAC.

Coopersale Hall School - shadow Habitats Regulations Assessment (sHRA)

Planning permission requirement for a shadow Habitats Regulations Assessment (sHRA)

Pennie Lane

The client sought to demolish a bungalow and rebuild within the same footprint. Following pre-application advice, the local authority requested an ecology survey.

Kiddington Nursery

Knight Frank on behalf of a private client sought permission to change the use of a building from its former use as a children’s nursery to a residential dwelling. Ecology by Design was commissioned in August 2015 to carry out the necessary bat surveys and again in 2017 because work had not commenced since the original surveys and were now considered out of date.

Hopwood Motorway Services

Welcome Break sought permission to extend an existing lorry park within Hopwood Motorway Services. Ecology by Design was commissioned in September 2016 to carry out the necessary ecological surveys on the site.

Corley MSA

Smith Jenkins on behalf of Welcome Break sought permission to extend the lorry park at Corley Motorway Services. Ecology by Design was commissioned by Welcome Break in February 2017 to carry out necessary ecological surveys on the site.

The Cherry Orchard

The Cherry Orchard is a paragraph 55 project to provide a new dwelling and orchard business in Mongewell, Oxfordshire.

Latest News

Ecology Blog

BNG from a planning perspective – what you really need to know

We are now 9 months on from the introduction of mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), which requires all developments to demonstrate a minimum 10% net gain for biodiversity.

So how have local planning authorities learned and adapted over this period and what are the ecology requirements to support BNG applications?

Wintering Bird Survey – when will you need one?

Wintering bird surveys, sometimes known as non-breeding bird surveys, are an important part of assessing the ecological impact of a proposed development, where legal protections and conservation requirements are in place. Several factors influence the need for such surveys:

Understanding the Mitigation Hierarchy for Planners

One of the ways in which planning authorities can ensure developers are doing the best they can for biodiversity is by examining their understanding of the Mitigation Hierarchy. Described by CIEEM (the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management) as “the cornerstone of achieving BNG”, the hierarchy is a linear process; a sequential set of steps from best scenario to worst scenario, namely (1) Avoid, (2) Minimise, (3) Compensate, (4) Enhance.