Southern Ecological Solutions, Ecological Consultancy and Countryside Management

Consultancy with a Difference

Southern Ecological Solutions is a professional multi disciplinary consultancy founded with the aim of providing a high quality, cost effective Ecological Consultancy, Ecological Implementation and Arboricultural services to clients in both the private and public sector.

Having unique in-house consultancy and implementation teams means we can manage projects from the start to the finish. This allows us to pass cost savings to our clients. A holistic service is especially beneficial when protected species mitigation is required, as coordinating multiple contractors is not necessary when specialist consultants and implementation teams are all under one roof.

We have delivered mitigation projects associated with developments ranging from a few units to over 3000 units with associated infrastructure and significant constraints. SES has also undertaken extensive mitigation works on MoD, Network Rail and National Grid sites.

The challenges associated with combining nature and development are becoming increasingly complex. Balancing legal and policy obligations against achieving viable development outcomes is something we at SES pride ourselves on.It is now even more important than ever to understand the constraints on site at the earliest

possible point, so mitigation options and design can be planned together, maximising developable area and profit.

A Proven Approach

Step 1Meet with the client, gain a full understanding of the project and key deliverables.

Step 2The correct scope of ecological works should be identified, avoiding costly delays and unnecessary survey.

Step 3Survey should be undertaken and the results fed to the client and into the design team.

Step 4The most desirable layout is produced, with the opportunities and constraints fully understood.

Strategic Projects

“Our clients look to acquire strategic land to provide a pipeline for future development, growth and to meet housing needs.

Our role is to ensure planning approval is achieved in a timely and cost effective manner.We specialise in the Production of Ecological Impact Assessments and have a track record of delivering on time and on budget.”

Stuart Pankhurst - Director Contact us to discuss your needs with an experienced professional.

Aerial Inspection of Trees for Bats

Bats often use cracks and holes in trees to roost and traditionally bat surveyors will only inspect trees from ground level using binoculars. In some cases this is adequate. Often holes which may look suitable for use by bats when viewed from the ground are not deep enough to be used when viewed up close.

Climbing the trees to get a closer view of any potentially suitable roosting features can enable the surveyor to discount features which may have seemed suitable from the ground, or to confirm the presence of bats so constraints are understood quicker. An aerial inspection is an extremely effective and robust way of determining the presence or absence of bats, and is often much more effective than ground inspections and emergence surveys.

This means unnecessary survey can be avoided with a close aerial inspection as a single inspection can avoid 2-3 evening emergence surveys and can be undertaken throughout the year.

We have a broad portfolio of clients, the majority of these consult with SES on multiple projects.

Our clients include: Private estatesThe Oxbridge universitiesNational house buildersThe MoDLocal AuthoritiesThe Electricity AllianceHighways and railway contractorsPrivate home ownersArchitectsLandscape architectsAnd Charities

“Ecology audits help you maximise your land portfolio.”

It is important to identify the potential for protected species and habitats when reviewing your land assets as their presence requires careful consideration before development can commence. SES offers a comprehensive ecological service and can undertake an Ecological “Health Check” of your land portfolio that will identify any potential ecological constraints. This information will enable you to make strategic decisions about your assets whether you have a small or large land portfolio and will enable you to maximise your returns.

The Ecological “Health Check” would include a written report listing the potential ecological constraints; the potential for mitigation; and the associated costs and time constraints.

SES has a close working relationship with planning consultants and the Ecological “Health Check” can extend to include broad assessments of planning potential. The emergence of localism will mean that care has to be taken to identify opportunities that best reflect local expression of needs. SES is therefore able to offer an opportunity to consider many aspects of land potential.

BREEM Assessment

BREEAM is the world’s leading design and assessment method for sustainable building. Assessments are undertaken under a variety of schemes, including:

Housing (Code for Sustainable Homes)Schools (BREEAM for Education)Healthcare (BREEAM for Healthcare)

“Ecological credits are often the most cost effective and easy to achieve.In almost all cases site survey and the issue of a final report and BREEAM template is achievable within a week.It is also possible to predetermine the credits available after just a single visit, before any reporting is undertaken.”

The Role of an Ecologist in a BREEAM Assessment

SES has extensive experience preparing reports in relation to the Ecological Criteria (Eco 1 - 5). Our approach is to maximise the amount of credits available to our clients, whilst achieving real ecological gains. These add value to your housing project and provide valuable teaching resources when undertaken for schools.

To undertake an assessment an SES ecologist would visit the site and would record information on the habitats and species present, plus the potential for rare or protected species. We would then produce a report that comments on each of the ecological criteria and highlight which credits can be achieved and where ecological enhancements could be undertaken. The ecological credits are often some of the most cost effective to gain and the enhancements recommended always add value to our client’s projects.

Arboriculture and the Built Environment

Trees and hedgerows often shape and characterise the landscape. Tree and hedgerow surveys can quantify and substantiate the quality of the stock on site. This information can be used to help shape a masterplan, retaining character and providing a sense of place.

Sometimes it is necessary to remove trees and hedgerows to facilitate development or for health and safety reasons. It is essential that tree constraints and implication surveys are undertaken, to plan removals and compensatory measures to meeting the Local Authorities requirements.

At SES we have highly experienced in-house arboricultural consultants who can advise on all aspects associated with trees and development. We can also provide management plans for woodland owners, as well as skilled tree surgeons to undertake any management works.

Countryside Management

Our in house SES countryside management team possess a diverse range of practical skills underpinned with an understanding of guiding ecological principles. All teams are CITB and NPTC qualified and all team members are CSCS card holders.

At SES we pride ourselves in offering an holistic service and our implementation teams implement the mitigation and habitat creation schemes we design in-house.

The implementation team function separately to our consultancy service. A testament to the quality and cost effectiveness of their work is that they work independently for clients such as other ecological consultants, infrastructure contractors, developers, conservational bodies and government agencies.

We have worked on sites containing European protected species and have been contracted in to undertake enhancement works within statutory and non-statutory protected sites such as Nature Reserves, SSSI’s, SPA and SAC’s.

Over the past few years we have undertaken many site vegetation clearances and our clients often use our teams to clear their sites of vegetation prior to development.

Our countryside management team can work without supervision on sensitive sites that contain protected species as all operatives have adequate training to understand the constraints. This often negates the need for external supervision, reducing client costs.

In-house Expertise

Habitat surveys

Protected species surveys

Protected species mitigation

Protected species licensing

Biodiversity statements

BREEAM assessments

Ecological scoping surveys

Ecological Impact Assessments (EcIA)

Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA)

Clerk of works

Tree surveys

Habitat management and enhancement plans

Habitat creation

Habitat restoration

Sensitive vegetation clearance

Tree surgery and forestry

Wildlife fencing

Pond and lake creation

Expert witness

Aerial inspection for bats

“An implementation specialist’s role can start prior to the design stage. A single site visit can identify potential constraints on the ground.This is especially important when working with protected species, as tricky last minute revisions to license applications can be eliminated, providing the practicalities of onsite implementation are understood”

Graham Sargent - Director

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Contact Us01268 711 021team@ses-eco.co.uk