Wildlife and green space

We have an important regulatory role to protect our native species and habitats. We can help you to create an environment where wildlife can thrive, especially along rivers and in wetlands.

Early consultation with us:

• avoids unnecessary costs and delays, and
• increases your chances of receiving our consent.

Speaking to us allows you to identify ways to increase the economic, social and ecological value of your development at little cost.

Protecting wildlife

When planning the design of any new development, you need to consider how your proposals affect wildlife habitats. To gain our consent and allow your development to take place, we need to be satisfied that your proposal is ecologically acceptable. We give expert advice to the planning authority on the wildlife costs of developments. Therefore it makes sense to include our requirements at the start of the process to reduce your costs and maximise your chances of gaining both planning permission and our consent.

We have a legal duty to protect and improve the environment. This duty always forms part of our assessment of any application for our consent. If we believe that there will be unacceptable damage to wildlife, we may refuse consent and so prevent the development from taking place.

Working with you

Rather than put a stop to your proposals, we would like to:

• work with you from the start to improve habitats on your site, and
• make sure you avoid damaging the environment.

This allows you to avoid negative publicity and even prosecution. But improving these habitats can even increase the value of your site.

Contacting us early on means we can help guide your design proposals, it often:

• makes the process far easier and cheaper
• opens up more opportunities for your site, and
• makes applying for consents from us a lot easier and faster.

A financial asset

Any existing or new wildlife on your site can be both a financial and social asset. Independent published research shows that properties directly overlooking high-quality green space are worth five to seven per cent more than similar properties without those views. Improving the quality and quantity of the water flowing in rivers can increase the value of adjacent properties from 2-15 per cent.

In addition to improving wildlife, green spaces provide free environmental services to a development. They can:

• reduce surface water run-off
• reduce the risk of flooding and reduce pollution
• act as urban heat sinks and improve water quality
• help reduce the impacts on or from climate change.

Our advice

We advise that you carry out an ecological assessment early in the design process. This will help you:

• understand the environmental requirements, and
• avoid unforeseen problems later on.

You may need to design your proposal so that it will protect existing habitats and species. Your designs should:
avoid any negative impacts on wildlife

• mitigate and compensate to prevent any long-term negative effects
• carry out enhancements where possible.

We can:

• help you with this process if you contact us before any designs have been started
• advise you on your responsibilities for controlling and managing invasive species on your site, and improving freshwater fisheries.

Creating new habitats

You improve your chances of gaining consent if you create new habitats that meet the planning authority's and our environmental targets. We can advise you on how you can achieve this. These habitats:

• can increase the value of your development.
• often need less maintenance than traditional landscaping, and reducing management costs.

An ecological masterplan will help shape your development in a way that's far more likely to be acceptable to the planning authority and us. A management plan allows you to make sure your development continues to work well.

If your site is close to a watercourse, we will advise you to create an undisturbed green buffer between it and your development. This should be free of roads and access routes and managed to develop a natural character with native trees, shrubs and grassland, all rich in species.

There are huge opportunities for restoring river and wetland habitats, particularly in heavily urbanised areas. This has already been achieved on many sites with benefits to the economic value of the development, social well-being of residents and local wildlife.
We can provide you with the necessary guidance and advice on how you can achieve this for your development. It will make it more attractive to:

• your customers
• local people
• planning authorities, and
• wildlife.

We can also provide guidance on which ecological assessments are required and any mitigation or compensation that is required.

Our conservation team can provide you with expert advice on most species and habitats. They may assess your development proposal to make sure that it contributes to the UK Biodiversity Action Plan. This is the Government's plan for nature conservation and underpins our role in protecting and improving wildlife.

Involving the local community

Wherever you build, there will be interest from the local community. By encouraging participation you can help meet local community needs and open space targets.