Protected species surveys are required for other species including Reptiles, Water Voles, Badgers, Bats, Otters, breeding birds and more. Very often sites with wide ranging habitat types will demand multi-species surveys all of which are time-critical.
Surprisingly, these surveys also have a shelf life and simply become out of date; if you are intending to make a planning application later this year it is worth checking that your data is still current and robust enough to satisfy your application. Ideally survey data should be no more than two years old.
In addition to protected species habitats, Phase One’s also spot the presence of invasive weeds like Japanese Knotweed, Himalayan Balsam and Giant Hogweed.
There is a raft of invasive species developers need to know about but without question the most high profile and best known on the list is Japanese Knotweed.
Japanese Knotweed is known for being infamously difficult to kill and expensive to deal with – this said the most cost effective knotweed treatment programmes kick off in spring!
Japanese Knotweed, like most plants, raises its head at this time of year; often appearing in late April as small, red asparagus-like shoots which rocket up to form stands of up to three metres in height – this is the time to strike!
By far the cheapest way of eradicating Japanese Knotweed (JK) is via herbicidal means, and spring, as plants display aggressive growth and healthy leaf cover, is the best time to get herbicide into growing Knotweed stands.
Many companies claim to be able to eradicate Japanese Knotweed in one growing season using herbicide – whilst this is not a false claim, it can only be achieved if the treatment starts in spring. If this is something your development programme demands, start involving a reputable eradication company now; delaying treatment to later in the year could be a costly move that sees you forced into using expensive excavation-oriented solutions in order to meet your build programme.
Spring is not only a key time for protected species surveys and Knotweed killing; it is also a very important time to carry out ecological translocation works.
Certain ecological implementation works need to be carried within restricted time windows and in particular GCN and reptile translocation. This is the process of trapping, collecting and relocating animals to a new habitat.
Those who have not yet been required to carryout a newt or reptile translocation on their schemes should take note; these can be both time consuming and expensive. As mentioned previously, an EPS licence is required before GCN translocations can take place; just processing the licence application through Natural England takes around Six weeks or longer if an application is rejected first time.
Once a licence is granted the newt translocation can get underway; this involves installing newt fencing and pitfall traps around the site, followed by the trapping or translocation period.
The larger the surveyed population of newts the longer the translocation period needs to be; for small populations the minimum is 30 days, for medium populations a minimum of 60 days, and for high populations a minimum of 90 days. Translocation programmes can only cease once 5 clear days have been achieved where no newts are found, which can see translocations extend past the 30, 60 or 90 day minimums.
In short, these works take longer than many in the industry are aware; the earlier in the season you can get a translocation under way the lower your risk of extended delays. Many who delay until late in the season fail to complete translocations before the cold weather starts in late autumn, at which time newts cannot be trapped and the translocation is put on hold until the following spring.
It is vital that developers and main contractors understand the ecological calendar; the right ecological action at this time of year will pay dividends and can make or break project programmes – use spring wisely!
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