Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA) are often required to support planning applications, and Morph Ecological Consultants can carry out the surveys and produce PEA reports. Our ecologists predominantly undertake Preliminary Ecological Appraisals across Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire and Leicestershire, but also across the rest of England. PEAs assess the ecological habitats and species present (or could potentially be present) within a site, in relation to a proposed development project.
Generally, a PEA is the first stage in evaluating the ecological value of a site and the potential impact of a proposed development or scheme. Should protected or notable species or habitats be recorded, or if the site has the potential to support protected species, recommendations are then made for mitigation, compensation and enhancement measures, and for further surveys where necessary.
A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal usually comprises of a desk study and a UKHab habitat survey. The desk study involves consultation with the local ecological record holders (these can be Wildlife Trusts, local natural history groups or stand-alone county record centres). The desk study will identify designated nature conservation sites, including Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), local or national nature reserves and Local Wildlife Sites (LWS). Records of protected and notable species will also be collated as part of the desk study. The data collected as part of the desk study is used to inform the assessment of the potential for a proposed development to impact nearby protected or notable sites of ecological value. The data is also used to assess the possibility of protected or notable faunal species being present on the site, and potentially impacted by the proposals.
The UKHab habitat survey follows a standard methodology and involves a site walk-over survey where each parcel of land is classified on the basis of vegetation. A botanical species list is recorded and notes are made on the structure of habitats present. Target notes are used to record features of particular interest as well as sightings, signs or evidence of, or potential habitat for, protected or notable faunal species. This determines the importance of the habitats on site and helps inform the potential mitigation or compensation required.
Habitat surveys can be undertaken throughout the year, however are ideally carried out during the plant-growing season of May to September. Occasionally it may be necessary to undertake further botanical surveys during the spring or summer, if a winter or autumn survey is inconclusive, or identifies areas of habitat that require greater levels of investigation.
A PEA is also required when carrying out BREEAM assessments or calculating Biodiversity Net Gain.
An Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) is usually produced for larger, potentially more complex development projects. The initial survey methodology is similar to a PEA, but also includes a number of different protected species surveys. The report is not typically produced until all further survey work is completed. The EcIA report includes the likely effects of the proposed development, once all the mitigation, compensation and enhancement measures have been designed.
These reports can be produced as stand-alone Ecological Impact Assessment reports or they may form the Ecology Chapter for an Environmental Statement (ES) or Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), usually to a specified format.