Helping to Deliver Sustainable Development from Land Acquisition through to Construction
Ecological considerations can influence development outcomes from an early stage, affecting layout and programme, and in some cases, even viability and deliverability.
At EPR, we support developers and land promoters from the Land acquisition phase through to design, and into construction, providing robust and proportionate ecological advice throughout all stages to help schemes progress with confidence.
Our services throughout the development process
Site Identification & Land Acquisition
Early identification of key constraints and opportunities through Preliminary Ecological Appraisal and high-level Biodiversity Net Gain calculation, including review of legislation, policy requirements, designated sites, habitats and protected/notable species. This helps inform ecological risk at the outset, informs land value decisions, avoids unnecessary survey work and supports a realistic approach to promotion or development.
Land Promotion
Targeted surveys and strategic advice to inform emerging masterplans, helping avoid or minimise impacts, reduce mitigation complexity and simplify Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG). This helps manage risk and retain flexibility for later design stages and supports a deliverable approach.
Masterplanning & Design
Proportionate further survey work to fully understand ecological constraints and opportunities, alongside consultation with key stakeholders and public engagement where required. Collaboration with the project team to integrate ecological considerations alongside other technical and delivery constraints in a pragmatic and proportionate way, including the retention and enhancement of higher‑value habitats, embedding mitigation and compensation within emerging layouts, and ensuring green infrastructure strategies maximise Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG).
Planning Application
Provision of robust, proportionate ecological assessment including Ecological Impact Assessment, Habitats Regulations Assessment and Biodiversity Net Gain submissions that stand up to scrutiny and support smooth determination. We have the expertise and experience to robustly defend our work at Public Inquiry if required.
Post‑Consent & Pre‑Commencement
Discharge of ecological planning conditions, refinement of mitigation strategies, securing Natural England mitigation licences where required, and advice aligned with programme and phasing.
Construction & Delivery
Site supervision, ecological toolbox talks, and responsive advice, ensure compliance with legislation, approved mitigation strategies, or Natural England licence requirements whilst minimising programme disruption. Well‑coordinated ecological input during construction helps manage risk, maintain compliance and support efficient delivery.
Our in house contracting and habitat creation team can undertake practical implementation tasks including installation of reptile fencing, destructive search, tree planting, and installation of bat and bird boxes.
A pragmatic, delivery-focussed approach
From land acquisition through design and construction, our ecological input is tailored to each stage of the development process, helping identify and manage risk early, inform effective design, and ensure compliance during delivery.
Across all stages, our advice is:
-
Proportionate – Ensuring proposals are based on a robust and defensible understanding of the ecological baseline, but avoiding unnecessary surveys
-
Collaborative – working closely with the wider project team to integrate ecological considerations alongside other technical and delivery constraints
-
Commercially aware – mindful of programme, risk and value
