Infrastructure

Informing and advising on major infrastructure projects throughout the UK

We provide advice and undertake surveys to inform major transport infrastructure projects, mineral extraction and industrial and manufacturing operations as well as regularly providing advice to the utilities sectors.

Our project work within this sector is varied, often involving being contracted by larger organisations to provide specialist survey support, such as in assessment of badger populations, or to obtain and deliver protected species licences.

Tom is regularly approached to provide advice on the survey and assessment of badger populations for large roads projects. This work includes projects throughout the UK, most recently with projects in Northamptonshire, Lincolnshire and Cornwall. Our capabilities within assessment of badger populations, characterisation of impacts, design of mitigation measures ensures that the effective strategies can be proposed safeguarding badger populations on a site and also ensuring smooth progress with development. We deliver all of our mitigation, including construction of artificial setts and exclusion of badger setts in-house ensuring that it is delivered to the highest standards.

Amongst our major projects in this sector has been our support to Viridor at Masons Landfill Site in Suffolk, where we have been working since 2010. This project has required, over the years multiple phases of great crested newt translocation and extensive permanent newt fencing. To date in excess of 3000 newts have been caught and moved into a large receptor site. Recently we have been working closely with Viridor and Natural England to develop a new form of licensing for the site aimed at better serving the newt population and securing additional habitat for this species whilst hopefully also simplifying requirements for Viridor.

Since 2011 we have been retained under an NE3 Framework Contract with Wessex Water where we regularly provide support, particularly with protected species licensing. In particular Polly Luscombe regularly obtains Great Crested Newt Low Impact Licences for minor project works within Wessex Water landholdings. We are also regularly approached to obtain bat licences, including low impact class licences which can be necessary when undertaking repair work to Wessex Water facilities.