On small sites local to our office locations you can expect to pay £400.00 plus VAT for a PRA survey and report. For large, complex sites our fees increase to around £2,000.00 plus VAT for a survey and reporting – although in either case it can depend on the complexity of what’s there.
Note; where OS mapping is required for us to include within reporting and to use as a base map for survey work, these will be charged for separately which, depending on site size can be £50 plus VAT to £300 + VAT and on large sites even more.
Ecological Data Searches
Most local authority planning departments will request the inclusion of historic ecological records within our reports. This data is a paid for service, chargeable from the records centre, which we request and pay for on your behalf and then analyse the data and include what’s relevant within our reporting.
You do not have to have this data – and it can be expensive (typically £300.00 plus VAT) but be mindful that if we don’t include it then it may be asked for at a later stage of the planning determination process.
Ideally we like 30-40 days for completion of a survey and reporting but we also recognise that sometimes project timescales don’t allow for that long. We’ll always do our best, and where capacity allows then if we can turn around work quicker then we will. The important bit of information for us is when do you plan to submit for planning, as that should ultimately be what dictates the programme. During the quieter times of the year and when we have more capacity then don’t be surprised to see us on site within a week of instruction!
If you would like further information, to discuss what you think you might need, to ask if we can work quickly for you or just for a bit of advice please get in touch and we’ll be happy to help!
This type of survey is commonly requested by the council for small scale renovation and extension projects on residential properties, or as part of a larger Preliminary Ecological Appraisal. The assessment can be undertaken year-round and assesses structure(s) for suitability to support roosting bats and may recommend further bat surveys to determine presence or likely absence of protected species.
If bats are found to be present, a mitigation and compensation scheme will be produced considering the impacts of the proposals and may result in the need for a Mitigation Licence applied for and granted by Natural England to allow the works to proceed.
Yes, but there are two stages to this. A Preliminary Roost Assessment as part of a PEA or a standalone document which assesses the suitability of a building or tree to support roosting bats. The preliminary survey can be undertaken year round by a suitably qualified ecologist and will be graded as having negligible, low, moderate, high suitability to support bats or as a confirmed roost if evidence of bats is found.
The grading of the building dictates the likelihood of bat presence, however if bats are found to be present the survey effort should be sufficient to able characterisation of the roost type ( Breeding, hibernation, summer day roost etc) to determine the impacts to bats.
Bat surveys are constrained by season, and certain roost types need to be surveyed at certain times of year, so if required these need to be undertaken as soon as possible to prevent delays as bats cannot be surveyed over the winter period.
