Costly delays avoided due to early involvement in a major school development in Coventry.
Wharton Natural Advisers: Matt Wall, Senior Ecology Consultant & Jack Barnard, Arboricultural Consultant
Scope/Scale of Project:
Inform development to create a solution around protected trees and roosting bats for a major school development on an ancient woodland.
Deliverables:
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA).
Preliminary Roost Assessment (PRA)
Roost Characterisation Surveys
Protected Species Licence Application
Arboricultural Impact Assessment
Arboricultural Method Statement (AMS)
Arboricultural clerk of works (ACoW)
Overview:
Tiverton School sits amongst some of Coventry’s oldest English Oaks located on an ancient woodland. As such, there were significant arboricultural and ecological constraints to consider when developing the site.
Wharton was given the opportunity to carry out relevant arboricultural and ecological assessments which, on submission to the Local Planning Authority (LPA), quickly resulted in planning permission being granted. Wharton received further instruction to carry out an arboricultural method statement (AMS) in relation to a 10 year management plan to support the proposal as well as to provide arboricultural clerk of works (ACoW) to monitor the site throughout development.
Roosting bats were a significant constraint to development, with two small roosts being found in two opposing sides of the school. Roost characterisation surveys were undertaken following an initial assessment and identification of roosting bats during the first emergence survey. This fed into a mitigation proposal which was submitted to the LPA and swiftly accepted. A bat low impact class licence was submitted and approved for the site which enabled works to progress without delay, and during supervision also re-homed three pipistrelle bats into bat boxes at the Site.