We have all the relevant licences to allow us to undertake protected species surveys.
In addition to these, developers may require licences for work affecting protected species. These are often referred to as ‘mitigation’, ‘derogation’, or ‘development’ licences, or ‘EPS’ licences when required for a European protected species, including bats, dormice, great crested newts, white-clawed crayfish, otters and sand lizards.
Richard Green Ecology has successfully obtained over 200 bat mitigation licences in England and Wales. Projects range from small developments affecting single low-value roosts to complex infrastructure schemes affecting high-value roosts, including breeding roosts and Annex II species, such as lesser horseshoe, greater horseshoe and barbastelle bats.
Richard Green is one of a small number of Bat Mitigation Class Licence (BMCL) Registered Consultants in England, having demonstrated a high level of earned recognition in this field.
Richard is also registered under Bat Mitigation Class Licences (WML-CL39 & CL40) for permitting actions affecting bat roosts in buildings and trees to allow construction of HS2 Phase 1.
The aims of the WML-CL21 licence are to:
We can therefore offer a more competitive package for bat surveys and licensing where survey findings fall under the criteria for this licence. We can also apply for a licence if another consultant has undertaken surveys but does not hold a BMCL.
In summary, the BMCL permits the disturbance and capture of bats and / or damage / destruction of roost/s of no more than three low conservation significance roosts (i.e., feeding roosts, day, night and transitional/occasional roosts), affecting no more than three of the more common species of bat present in small numbers.
Species covered under Annex B include:
Annex C covers low conservation significance serotine bat roosts, i.e., day, night, feeding and transitional/occasional roosts used by small numbers of serotine bats. Roost compensation/mitigation should include retention or re-creation of roosts and access points. Bat boxes are not appropriate compensation for serotine bats. A presence/absence survey must be carried out at an appropriate time of year. It must be done at least two years after and within five years of completing the licensed activities.
Annex C can only be used to register serotine bat roost sites in the following counties, including any unitary authorities present within these counties:
Annex D covers low conservation status lesser horseshoe bat roosts, i.e., day and transitional/occasional roosts used by small numbers of lesser horseshoe bats. It does not include night roosts and feeding roosts. Roost compensation/mitigation should include retention or re-creation of roosts and access points. Bat boxes are not appropriate compensation for lesser horseshoe bats. A presence/absence monitoring survey must be carried out at an appropriate time of year. It must be done at least two years after and within five years of completing the licensed activities.
Annex D can only be used to register lesser horseshoe bat roost sites in the following counties, including any unitary authorities present within these counties:
Natural England charges may apply. Click here for further information.
Richard Green is one of a small number of Earned Recognition Consultants in England, having achieved the highest level of accreditation (AL3), allowing him to register almost all sites and bat roosts under the BER Licence.
The BER Licence is a transformative new approach to licensing mitigation work in England that impacts on bats, which aims to streamline licensing, raise and maintain professional standards in bat mitigation work and improve outcomes for bats.
The key benefits to our clients of using this licensing approach are:
We can register sites under the BER Licence even if another consultant has undertaken surveys, as long as adequate surveys have been undertaken and we have verified their findings, i.e., they are to our satisfaction following the requirements of BER.
A Natural England charge of £130 will apply in addition to our fees, unless the purpose of the project is to preserve public health or public safety; to conserve a bat roost in situ; for the conservation of a listed building; or for a householder home improvement project.
Richard Green Ecology has successfully obtained dormouse mitigation licences. We can also advise on how to avoid the need for a licence, where possible, and provide non-licensed method statements to enable work to go ahead without breaking the law.
Richard Green is one of a relatively small number of consultants in England who holds this licence, having demonstrated a high level of earned recognition in this field. The licence permits the intentional disturbance of water voles and damage/destruction of water vole burrows by means of ‘displacement’ (to facilitate development activities).
For the purposes of this licence, ‘displacement’ means cutting vegetation back to bare earth followed, where appropriate, by a destructive search of the burrows, where the intention is to displace water voles from their burrows. Water draw-down or removal may be used in parallel with vegetation cutting, where appropriate.
Richard Green Ecology can therefore assist on development projects potentially affecting water voles, saving time and money by not having to apply for a project specific licence where the class licence can be used instead.
Richard Green is one of a relatively small number of consultants in England who holds this licence, having demonstrated a high level of earned recognition in this field.
This licence permits persons registered under this licence to interfere with badger setts, including: monitoring of sett use by badgers, the exclusion of badgers from their setts and destruction of setts for the purposes of development (as defined in section 55(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990) and preventing serious damage. It also permits the disturbance of badgers occupying a badger sett for the purpose of development. Registered Users are permitted to monitor sett use at any time of the year, but exclusion of badgers and closure of setts must only be undertaken between 1 July and 30 November (inclusive).
The use of this licence is subject to:
Richard Green Ecology can therefore assist on development projects potentially affecting badger setts, saving time and money by not having to apply for a project specific licence where the class licence can be used instead.
Highly experienced, multi-disciplinary team of suitably qualified ecologists.
Natural England & Natural Resources Wales licensed and fully insured.
CSCS, Confined Space, Tree Climbing & Aerial Rescue, First Aid trained.
As an independent ecological consultancy, we provide innovative expert services promptly and at reasonable rates. We are based in the Southwest of England but offer nationwide services. Services include: bat surveys and other protected species surveys; Phase I and NVC habitat surveys; ecological impact assessments; and European protected species licence applications.
