Ecological Surveys and Assessments
We provide a range of ecological surveys and assessments to suit your needs, from preliminary ecological appraisals to inform our design to ecological impact assessments to inform your planning application.
Ecological surveys can be confusing if you don’t know what survey or report you need; our friendly team are always on hand to guide you through the process – feel free to contact us at any time for a no-obligation chat about your project and how we can help you.
Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA)
What is a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal?
A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, or ‘PEA’, provides a baseline assessment of the site conditions. This includes identifying any important ecological features and the potential for protected species. The assessment will provide recommendations on how to avoid impacts, retain features of ecological elements, and where possible provide the likely impacts of a proposed development. This may include making recommendations for further surveys where further detailed assessment is required.
A PEA is intended to inform the design of a scheme and is useful in the early stages of a project when little or no ecological information is available. It can also be used if plans have been progressed, but the potential ecological impacts need to be clearly understood to ensure the design is compliant with legislation and planning policy.
The PEA includes three principal elements:
- A desk study to collect information on the distribution of habitats and protected species in the local area, as well as an assessment of aerial footage to assess ecological connectivity and other features that may extend the survey area (such as ponds to assess for great crested newt).
- A site visit by an ecologist to identify, assess the condition of, and map habitats at the site. The site visit will also use information from the desk study to determine the suitability of the site for protected species or other important ecological features such as statutory wildlife sites.
- A report will be produced that details the findings of steps 1 and 2 above, and provides an easily digestible indication of the ecological constraints to the project, as well as the opportunities the project provides to enhance biodiversity. The report will also contain information on the requirement for any further surveys or assessments that may be required.
Why do I need a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal?
The Local Planning Authority will often request that a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal is progressed for a project as part of their planning validation criteria, to identify potential ecological constraints and opportunities, and to inform the design of the project.
Protected sites, species, and habitats are a material planning consideration. This means that the Local Planning Authority needs to know what the effect of a project on protected sites, species, and habitats will be before they determine a planning application.
A Preliminary Ecological Assessment is an initial and rapid assessment of a site to identify any potential ecological constraints. It will inform the need for further, more targeted surveys, i.e. badger surveys, bat surveys, etc. if they are required.
If there are no ecological considerations at a site an ecological impact assessment report will be produced which details the findings of the PEA and explains the impacts of the project clearly for the Local Planning Authority and other stakeholders.
If further surveys are required, the Local Planning Authority will usually require these to be completed and an Ecological Impact Assessment report produced before a decision can be made on the planning application.
These appraisals can be carried out throughout the year, though the optimal period to assess vegetation is between March and October depending on the type of habitats present.
Click here to see our ecology survey calendar.


Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
What is an Ecological Impact Assessment?
An Ecological Impact Assessment, or ‘ECIA’, is a process of identifying, quantifying and evaluating the potential effects of a project on ecological features such as protected sites, habitats, and species.
Why do I need an Ecological Impact Assessment?
Whilst Ecological Impact Assessment is a process, EIA reports are produced once a design has been finalised and informed by the results of protected species surveys (or other ecological constraints) at the site.
The report should identify the significant ecological effects that arise as a result of a project, and propose avoidance measures, mitigation detail, or compensation to ensure that no significant residual ecological effects arise due to the proposal as far as possible.
The report should make it clear to the decision-maker what the possible significant effects are, how the effects have been avoided, minimised, or compensated for, and whether any significant residual effects remain once these measures have been implemented.
Ecological Impact Assessments can either be completed as part of a formal EIA process (to form part of an Environmental Statement) or as part of a non-EIA project (your planning consultant will be able to assist you with this).
Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM)
What is a BREEAM Assessment?
The Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method, or ‘BREEAM’, is used to masterplan projects, infrastructure and buildings. It has a set of topics that all feed into a larger assessment regarding how sustainable something like a building or proposed development is.
It focuses on sustainability in:
- Energy
- Land use and ecology
- Water
- Health and wellbeing
- Pollution
- Transport
- Materials
- Waste
- Management
Why do I need a BREEAM assessment?
BREEAM assessments are now the established assessment to ensure developments are sustainable; an ecology report forms an integral part of this assessment.
Your site and development project will be assessed against a variety of factors against which credits are assigned, such as ecological enhancements, habitat protection, loss and creation etc.
Our qualified ecologists have a significant track record in completing BREEAM assessments, and should you wish to discuss your BREEAM assessment, please contact us.


National Vegetation Classification (NVC) Survey
What is a National Vegetation Classification Survey?
National Vegetation Classification, or ‘NVC’, surveys are a method of assessing and categorising the vegetative communities present at a site to allow appropriate impact assessment and mitigation (if required to be devised).
An NVC survey involves an ecologist attending a site and compiling a detailed species list for the target habitat; this usually involves surveying several sampling areas (using non-invasive methods).
The detail obtained from the survey is then processed with specialist software which tells us what vegetative communities are present; this allows us to make an informed assessment of impacts, usually to feed into an Ecological Impact Assessment.
Why would I need a National Vegetation Classification Survey?
An NVC survey may be recommended at your site if a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal identifies that there may be important habitats present at your site and/or if the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal is carried out at a sub-optimal time of year, the surveys are carried out to accurately characterise the habitats and ecological conditions.
Some habitats are afforded legal protection as well as protection in planning policy, and the NVC survey enables us to determine whether that habitat is ecologically important, and allows us to make appropriate recommendations in respect of your project.
Get your Ecological Assessment Quote
We provide the natural environment advice you need to successfully balance commercial, environmental and human needs, naturally increasing the true value of your land or property.
Our highly qualified team can help you find the most successful natural-infrastructure solutions; minimise the risk to users of their land, form plans to improve ecology and advise construction companies how to work safely around their site.
Understanding the complete constraints and opportunities of any site, whether it be arboricultural, ecological or topographical to name but a few elements, is critical in order to design and plan a successful proposal.
Let’s begin!
Please let us know your contact information alongside with some details about the project

Wharton undertook an initial bat survey which identified suitable areas for roosting bats and evidence of bat activity (droppings).
Wharton undertook a preliminary ecological appraisal, bat activity and emergence/return to roost surveys, and completed a shadow Habitat …
Wharton undertook an initial bat survey which identified suitable areas for roosting bats and evidence of bat activity (droppings).
“Barberry has always found the Wharton team to be knowledgeable and efficient in their input backed with a commercially realistic approach to the development process”
M P Winters - Construction Director, Barberry Group Limited