We don’t just assess the ecology. We think about the development.
Every ecological recommendation has the potential to affect land, layout, programme or cost. We understand that.
Crossman Ecology works with developers to find solutions that achieve the required ecological outcomes while supporting the commercial objectives of the development.
That means thinking strategically about ecology from the outset: what needs to be retained, what can be changed, where biodiversity should be delivered, how public open space can work harder, and where an alternative approach could protect developable land or reduce cost.
Our aim is not simply to tell you what the ecological constraints are. It is to help you understand what they mean for the development and the most practical way of dealing with them.
Talk to us about your development
Commercial viability, great places and biodiversity
Successful development requires balance.
A scheme needs to be commercially viable. It needs to deliver the homes, buildings or floorspace that make the project work. But it also needs to create an attractive place that people want to live, work and spend time in, while meeting increasingly important requirements for biodiversity and the natural environment.
We believe good ecological consultancy should help find that balance.
Commercial viability
Land has value. So does time.
We consider the potential consequences of our recommendations for developable area, project costs and programme. Where there is more than one compliant ecological solution, we help the project team understand the options and their implications.
Great places to live
Green infrastructure does not have to be land that is simply surrendered to ecology.
Gardens, landscaping, public open space, sustainable drainage features, trees, hedgerows and green corridors can contribute to the character and attractiveness of a development while also providing ecological value.
Working alongside planners, architects and landscape architects, we look for opportunities for these spaces to perform more than one function.
Better outcomes for nature
Good development and good ecological outcomes do not have to be opposing objectives.
By understanding the site’s ecology early, we can identify the habitats and features that matter most and help integrate them intelligently into the development.
The objective is to create biodiversity in the right places and in the right way, so that ecological requirements complement the scheme rather than unnecessarily compromise it.
Buying or optioning a site? Understand the ecological risk first.
Some of the most valuable ecological advice we can provide happens before a planning application has even been designed.
Before committing significant money to a site, developers need to understand whether ecology could materially affect its development potential.
Early ecological due diligence can identify issues such as protected species, designated sites, priority habitats, important hedgerows or trees, Biodiversity Net Gain implications and seasonal survey requirements.
But identifying an ecological constraint is only the beginning.
The more important question for a developer is:
What could this mean for developable area, programme, cost and planning risk?
Understanding those implications early can inform land negotiations, option agreements, viability assessments, masterplanning and the development programme.
Design ecology into the scheme – not around it
One of the biggest opportunities to reduce ecological cost and complexity comes during concept design and masterplanning.
Once a layout is substantially fixed, ecological requirements can become constraints that need to be accommodated. When ecology is considered earlier, there is much greater opportunity to make it part of the design.
That could mean retaining the right hedgerows while removing those of lower ecological value, locating public open space where it can contribute most effectively to biodiversity, designing drainage features to provide ecological value, protecting important habitat corridors, or considering whether some biodiversity requirements would be more efficiently delivered offsite.
Small decisions at masterplanning stage can sometimes have significant consequences for land use, cost and the ease with which a scheme progresses through planning.
Biodiversity Net Gain is a land-use decision, not just a calculation
Biodiversity Net Gain can have a direct impact on the economics and design of a development.
Delivering habitat onsite requires land. That land may also have value for housing, commercial floorspace, gardens, infrastructure or public open space.
We therefore approach BNG strategically.
We help developers understand the site’s existing biodiversity value, what is driving any potential biodiversity deficit and the different ways in which the required gain could be achieved.
Depending on the development, that may involve retaining or enhancing existing habitats, creating new habitats onsite, making multifunctional use of public open space and landscaping, or considering registered off-site biodiversity units where appropriate.
The aim is to find a solution that is ecologically robust, deliverable and commercially sensible.
Find out more about Biodiversity Net Gain
Ecology support throughout the development lifecycle
Site acquisition and feasibility
Early ecological due diligence can identify constraints that may affect land value, developable area, programme or planning risk before significant investment is committed.
Concept design and masterplanning
We work with the wider design team to consider ecology while the layout is still flexible, helping retain the right features and make efficient use of land required for biodiversity, landscaping and public open space.
Ecological surveys
We identify and undertake the ecological surveys genuinely required for the site and proposals, while flagging seasonal constraints that could affect the development programme.
Biodiversity Net Gain strategy
We assess the biodiversity baseline and help the project team explore practical onsite and off-site approaches to achieving the required outcome.
Planning
We prepare robust ecological information to support the planning application and can engage with Local Planning Authority ecologists where ecological matters need discussion or resolution.
Detailed design and mitigation
As the scheme develops, we work with architects, landscape architects and other consultants to turn ecological commitments into practical and deliverable designs.
Construction and licensing
Where required, we can provide protected species licensing, ecological supervision, mitigation and other support during construction.
Long-term habitat management
Where habitats need to be managed or monitored following completion, we can help establish practical management and monitoring requirements that reflect the approved ecological strategy.
Ecology services for developers
Ecological Appraisal
Establish the ecological value of a site, identify potential constraints and determine what further ecological work is genuinely required.
Biodiversity Net Gain
Baseline habitat assessment, biodiversity metric calculations and strategic advice on achieving BNG while considering land use, design and development viability.
Ecological Impact Assessment
Detailed assessment of potentially significant ecological effects for developments requiring a more comprehensive level of ecological assessment.
Protected Species Surveys
Surveys and practical mitigation advice where protected species could affect the proposed development.
Protected Species Licensing
Licensing, mitigation and implementation support where development affects species requiring a protected species licence.
We understand that every recommendation has a consequence
An ecological recommendation can affect the number of units, the layout, infrastructure, public open space, landscaping, programme or cost.
That is why we encourage our ecologists to think beyond the ecological report.
Where there are different ways of achieving an acceptable ecological outcome, we consider the wider development implications and work with the project team to identify a proportionate solution.
- Protect developable land – by considering carefully where habitat needs to be retained or created.
- Control costs – by avoiding unnecessary ecological work and identifying practical mitigation strategies.
- Protect the programme – by identifying seasonal surveys and other potential constraints early.
- Reduce planning risk – through robust evidence and early consideration of likely ecological concerns.
- Make open space work harder – by looking for opportunities for landscaping, drainage, recreation and biodiversity to work together.
- Consider onsite and off-site solutions – particularly where providing biodiversity onsite could have disproportionate consequences for the scheme.
- Keep things practical – by considering whether ecological commitments will actually be deliverable during construction and long-term management.
Strong relationships reduce uncertainty
Ecological planning decisions are not made in isolation. Local Planning Authority ecologists and ecological advisers play an important role in reviewing development proposals and the evidence supporting them.
We invest considerable time in developing constructive professional relationships with council ecologists and understanding local approaches to ecological issues.
Those relationships do not replace robust ecological evidence. They do, however, help create the conditions for clear and constructive professional dialogue when an issue needs to be discussed.
For developers, that can mean concerns are understood earlier, potential solutions can be explored constructively and there is less risk of avoidable surprises emerging late in the planning process.
Development and biodiversity can work together
A development in Croydon provides a good example.
The redevelopment replaced two existing dwellings with 28 new flats, helping provide substantially more housing on an urban site. Ecological surveys identified bats and reptiles, requiring appropriate mitigation and licensing.
Rather than treating ecology solely as a constraint, Crossman Ecology also provided input into the design of the new gardens so that the green spaces could provide value for wildlife while creating attractive spaces for the people who would live there.
The development was able to meet its housing objectives while protecting protected species and incorporating new ecological features into the completed scheme.
Read the Croydon development case study
Why developers choose Crossman Ecology
We think commercially
We understand that developments need to be viable. We consider the implications of ecological recommendations for land, cost, programme and design rather than viewing ecology in isolation.
We are pragmatic
Finding a constraint is only the beginning. Our focus is on identifying a compliant, proportionate and deliverable way of resolving it.
We understand development
Our team combines ecological expertise with real-world experience of the development industry. We understand that ecology sits alongside planning, architecture, landscape, drainage, highways, viability and many other considerations.
We look at the whole project
We want to understand what you are trying to achieve, not simply the survey you have asked us to undertake. That wider understanding allows us to give better advice and identify opportunities that might otherwise be missed.
We communicate clearly
We explain the ecological issue, what it means for the development, the options available and what needs to happen next.
The Crossman Ecology Three-Part Client Guarantee
Development involves enough uncertainty already. We believe your ecological consultancy should provide greater certainty, not less.
That’s why our work is backed by the Crossman Ecology Three-Part Client Guarantee, covering planning outcome, pricing and timescales.
Discover our Three-Part Client Guarantee
Frequently asked questions from developers
When should a developer appoint an ecologist?
Ideally, before the layout is fixed and, for some sites, before acquisition or significant investment.
Early ecological advice can identify constraints that could affect developable area, programme, Biodiversity Net Gain requirements or planning risk while there is still flexibility to respond.
Bringing an ecologist in late can mean designing around constraints that could have been addressed much more efficiently during feasibility or masterplanning.
Can ecology affect the value or development potential of a site?
Yes. Ecological constraints can affect developable area, layout, survey programme, mitigation requirements and Biodiversity Net Gain delivery, all of which can have commercial implications.
This does not necessarily make a site unsuitable for development. The important thing is understanding the constraints and their likely implications before making major commercial decisions.
Early ecological due diligence can therefore be particularly valuable when acquiring, optioning or promoting land.
How can ecology be considered during masterplanning?
By identifying the site’s most important ecological features before the layout becomes fixed.
This allows the design team to consider which habitats should be retained, where buffers or habitat corridors may be needed and where landscaping, drainage and public open space could also contribute to biodiversity.
Considering these issues together can make much more efficient use of land than trying to retrofit ecological requirements into an established masterplan.
How can Biodiversity Net Gain affect development viability?
BNG can affect viability because delivering biodiversity requires either land, habitat creation and long-term management onsite, or an appropriate off-site solution.
The commercial implications will depend on the site’s existing biodiversity value, the proposed development and the different options available for delivering the required gain.
Early BNG assessment allows these implications to be considered alongside layout and viability rather than emerging once the scheme has already been designed.
Does all Biodiversity Net Gain have to be provided onsite?
No. Where mandatory BNG applies, there are circumstances in which the required gain can be delivered through registered off-site biodiversity units as well as habitat creation or enhancement onsite.
The appropriate strategy depends on the development and the applicable BNG rules.
For a developer, the important question is not simply whether BNG can be achieved onsite, but whether the proposed approach represents a sensible use of land and creates a deliverable long-term solution.
Can public open space contribute to Biodiversity Net Gain?
Potentially, yes.
Well-designed public open space, landscaping, sustainable drainage features and green corridors can provide ecological value alongside amenity, recreation, drainage and placemaking functions.
However, habitats used to deliver BNG need to meet the relevant requirements and be realistically capable of achieving and maintaining their target condition.
This is why collaboration between the ecologist, landscape architect and wider design team is important.
What happens if protected species are found on a development site?
The presence of a protected species does not automatically prevent development.
The implications depend on the species, how it uses the site and how the proposed development could affect it.
In many cases, development can proceed using appropriate avoidance, mitigation, compensation or licensing. Identifying the issue early usually gives the design team more options and reduces programme risk.
Can ecological surveys delay a development?
They can if survey requirements are identified too late.
Some protected species surveys are seasonally constrained and need to be undertaken during particular periods of the year. Missing a survey window can therefore affect when sufficient ecological information is available for planning.
One of the benefits of early ecological appraisal is identifying these requirements while there is still time to programme them properly.
Should we provide habitat onsite or buy off-site biodiversity units?
There is no single answer that is right for every development.
Onsite habitat can contribute to placemaking and provide attractive green infrastructure, but it also uses land and creates long-term establishment and management commitments.
Off-site units may sometimes offer greater flexibility, particularly where onsite habitat provision would significantly compromise the development or where suitable habitats would be difficult to establish and maintain.
We can model the different approaches and help the project team understand their ecological and practical implications.
What ecological information should we obtain before buying a development site?
The appropriate level of due diligence depends on the site and the proposed investment.
At a minimum, it can be useful to understand whether there are designated sites, important habitats, protected species constraints, significant BNG implications or seasonal survey requirements that could materially affect the development.
The objective is not necessarily to complete every ecological survey before acquisition. It is to understand enough about the ecological risk to make an informed commercial decision.
Got a development site you are assessing?
Talk to us before the ecology becomes a constraint.
Send us the site location and whatever information you currently have. We can help identify the likely ecological requirements, potential programme and land-use implications, and the most practical route forward.
Good ecology should help make a development work – commercially, environmentally and for the people who will ultimately use it.