If you apply for planning permission there is a requirement to know what habitats and species are present, to ensure that your planning application isn’t going to have a negative impact on nature. Previously, that would mean that an Extended Phase 1 Habitat Survey was required, although more recently the surveys have become known as Preliminary Ecological Appraisals, or PEA.
A PEA is:
‘A rapid assessment of the ecological features present, or potentially present, within a site and its surrounding area’
What does it include?
There are two main stages to a PEA:
- desk study,
- field study.
The desk study will obtain existing records of protected sites or species, usually within 2km of the site, from the local ecological records centre to identify existing records of sites or species that may be impacted by the proposed development.
The field study will comprise a walkover survey of the site that will classify the habitats present to UKHab classifications, identifying the dominant species within each habitat. The survey will also look for evidence of, or the potential for, protected or notable species on or around the site. if Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) calculations are required, then additional information must also be obtained during the survey (see below).
Following the survey, the findings will be written up into a comprehensive report that will outline the results of the survey and make recommendations to any further surveys required or other measures to be implemented during the proposed works. The report will include a digitised map identifying the habitats present on site, including Target Notes identifying the location of key habitats or ecological receptors.
The PEA report can then be submitted as supporting evidence for the planning application.
BNG
From January 2024 there will be a requirement for developers to deliver at least 10% measurable net gain in biodiversity (Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG)) on all new developments in England. Therefore, information required to prepare BNG calculations for the site must also be obtained during the PEA survey.
The surveyor must record the area of each habitat present and will undertake condition assessments, assessing the habitats against a set of criteria outlined by Defra. The condition assessments require specific features of the habitats to be noted and therefore it is essential that they are prepared during the field study and are undertaken by a competent ecologist.
Once the site information has been recorded it is entered into the Defra Biodiversity Metric, currently version 4.0, which will give baseline biodiversity units (bu) for the habitats on site.
The post intervention units can then be prepared using landscaping plans for the development to assess the change in habitats present, applying professional judgement to assign appropriate conditions. Once prepared the development plan can be tweaked to achieve the 10% uplift and to assess if additional offsetting is required. The metric can then be submitted alongside the PEA report to support the planning application.
For more information on Biodiversity Net Gain read through our previous blog,
https://www.switchecology.co.uk/blog/biodiversity-offsetting
or visit the .gov site,
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/biodiversity-net-gain