Pre-construction Site Works - Minimising Ecological Risks

​With the recent cold weather that has gripped the country in recent days it is all too easy to think that ecological issues are not likely to be a major constraint for construction sites.

However, before we know it, we will be into February and then the bird breeding season will be only a robin's chirp away. As days lengthen and temperatures rise, biochemical and phenological changes cause behavioural and hormonal development leading to increased activity of animals....in layman's terms, species start to get frisky prior to breeding and hibernating species will start to emerge and get prepared for spring.

​Birds, for example, are protected under the Wildlife and Countryside Act, and all species are protected while nesting. Some species are also more strongly protected, listed on Schedule 1of the W&C Ac, or via the 'Habitats Regulations'. Other species, such as bats, great crested newts, badgers are all protected via different legislation.

The key to ensuring that ecological constraints are dealt with is to plan well in advance.... Getting vegetation cleared ahead of the bird breeding season helps to ensure that there is less chance (but not entirely) of breeding birds being disturbed by construction works.

For pre-construction sites, therefore, it is important to ensure that ecological constraints associated with a site do not cause unnecessary delays to programme. For consented development, there may be planning conditions that need to be discharged, and even if these have been covered off, it is important to ensure that works proceed with due regard to the legal protection conferred on certain species. An offence can result in imprisonment, a fine, or perhaps more crucially a lengthy delay in the construction proceeding.