Services

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Records of historic buildings are generally compiled for one or more of the following reasons:

• „  to inform the day-to-day and long-term management and use of buildings
• „  to promote the understanding and appreciation of historic buildings
• „  to secure an understanding of a building and its significance to inform the preparation of a scheme of conservation, repair or alteration
• „  to inform decisions relating to the approval or implementation of a scheme of development as part of the planning or conservation process
• „  to document buildings, or parts of buildings, which will be lost as a result of demolition, alteration or neglect
• „  to assess the significance of groups of buildings, settlements and landscapes, and provide a basis for strategic heritage management
• „  to provide underpinning data for thematic, topographic or period-specific works of synthesis by recording a sample of surviving structures
• „  to inform academic research across a range of disciplines

Our dedicated Historic Building Expert and ArchaeologyTeam can assist you with.

1. Archaeological Desk Based studies & searches including Historic Environment Records
2. Heritage Statements  (as required by Paragraph 128 and Paragraph 129 of National Planning Policy Framework as well as advice from Historic England)
3. Continuous monitoring of ground breaking works or specialist Archaeological excavation, either sampling of a % of the land through targeted trench excavations or a complete stripping of the site to discover all of the buried Archaeology
4. Historic Building Recording including laser surveying and Photo Library filing

Assessment is always broken down into four phases. The first stage is always a Phase 1 Desk Top Investigation, dependant on the outcome, either a Phase 2 Intrusive Investigation should be carried out or a Phase 3 Remediation Strategy and Verification Plan. Equally, it may indicate that no risk is present, and no further works will be required. The final stage is the Phase 4 Verification Report, which proves that the risk has been eliminated from the site.

Phase 1 – (Often called a Land Contamination Risk Assessment / A Desk Study / Phase 1 Risk Assessment / Preliminary Site Risk Assessment / Stage 1a Planning Report / contaminated land management)
This is the first (and in many cases, only) stage of the risk assessment investigation for your site. This report consists of a walkover survey of the site and formation of a report. The report compiles the current and historical uses of the site, ordnance survey maps, local geology, trade and industry directories etc.
The report will give you an idea whether there is a potential linkage between a source (contaminant), a pathway (route for the contaminant to travel) and a receptor (yourself, a future tenant, or ecological systems etc).

Phase 2 – (Often called an Intrusive Ground Investigation / Intrusive Survey / Stage 2 Ground Investigation / contaminated land investigation / contaminated land exposure assessment / soil pollution report)
Should the Phase 1 indicate it is required, at this stage we will visit site and take soil (and possibly water) samples. These will then be taken to a UKAS accredited laboratory and tested. A quantitative report will then be produced which indicates the presence (or not) of any contaminants.

Phase 3 – (often called a Remediation Strategy and Verification Plan / This stage involves the technical details of breaking the source-pathway-receptor linkage mentioned above, by way of remedial works. A plan will be formed with the client, agreed upon by the Local Authority and then enacted. On submission and agreement to your planning authority, you will then be able to commence your development, with the remedial actions implemented alongside.

Phase 4 – The final stage of the process, this involves proving that the Phase 3 remediation strategy has effectively severed the source-pathway-receptor linkage, and that no risk remains on site.

Scoping and analysis of requirements for planning applications and other projects. 

Scoping will ensure that the work undertaken is pertinent to the planning requirements and objectives of the project. It will reduce the risk of requests for additional work late in the planning process and consequent delays to the project.  Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA) can be undertaken to identify issues for further work and assessment and guide the initial stages of project development.

Ecological Surveys 

• Phase 1 habitat and vegetation surveys (to National Vegetation Classification standard).
• Breeding and wintering birds.
• Protected mammal species: e.g. badgers, otters, water voles.
• Bats – buildings assessment and activity surveys.
• SNH Licence holder.
• River corridors.

Data Analysis, Reports and Assessments

• Reports for project planning and planning applications, “appropriate assessments” under the Habitats Regulations
• Biodiversity and environmental management plans (EMP),
• Species protection plans and protected species licencing
• Construction environmental management plans (CEMP).
• Sustainability surveys & assessments for BREEAM accreditation.

The Planning Environment  offers a comprehensive, cost effective flood risk and mitigation service which includes:

Assessment of flood risk
River and watercourse hydraulic modelling
Flood mitigation
Runoff control
Flood protection
Drainage improvement and design
Rainfall analysis
Expert witness
Catchment analysis
Pre-purchase assessments
Flood management plans
Insurance assessments
Run off potential
Flow modelling

The assessment of flood risk receives increasing attention driven both by climate change and a competing pressures for limited available development land. All new developments or change of use proposals which appear to be at risk of flooding in England are required to comply with National Planning Policy. We provide a full range of services for the assessment and management of river, coastal and urban flood risks, providing innovative and cost effective solutions where required.

Our flood risk team have more than 20 years’ experience of flood risk assessment, risk management and mitigation. We specialise in providing objective advice tailored to the specific requirements of each site. This is the best way to help you achieve a cost-effective solution and enable development. Our team are happy to help you establish what is needed to satisfy Council or Environment Agency requirements in relation to flood risk

The Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (in England) place a duty on Local Planning Authorities (LPAs) to ensure that adequate provision is made for the protection of trees when considering any new development. The Acts give LPAs the power to ensure tree protection through the use of planning conditions and Tree Preservation Orders. 

In addition, local plans also include policies relating to trees with requirements to protect existing trees and secure the planting of new ones. Proposed developments which do not take full account of existing trees may be refused consent. 

While the policies of different LPAs vary, most require that the guidance and procedures described in British Standard 5837: 2012 “Trees in relation to design, demolition and construction - Recommendations" be followed closely from the initial design stage through to the completion of the development.

We have extensive experience of providing the full range of arboricultural consultancy services required to assist clients through the design and planning processes, from initial site surveys and appraisals to the satisfactory completion of developments. 

Services include:

• Site appraisals to determine feasibility of development
• Pre-development BS5837 tree surveys & arboricultural assessments
• GPS/GIS/CAD tree survey/constraints plans
• Arboricultural Impact Assessments and Method Statements
• Tree Protection Plans
• Site supervision and monitoring
• Negotiation with Local Planning Authorities
• Expert Witness Representation at Planning Appeals and Public Inquiries
  

We regularly work as development team members along with planning consultants, architects, engineers, ecologists and landscape architects. 

We have carried out well over one thousand pre-development tree surveys in the past 20 years, for sites ranging from single-storey house extensions through to large-scale, multi-use, multi-occupancy developments. 

We have given expert witness evidence to numerous planning appeal hearings and public inquiries, earning a reputation for being thorough and authoritative in our preparation, and robust under cross-examination.

Our Sustainable Drainage Reports and Strategies:

• Are compliant with the national planning policies for England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland as well with the relevant environmental agency guidance and local planning policy
• Can be written as separate reports or combined with our Flood Risk Assessments
• Are suitable for all sizes and types of developments
• Identify appropriate surface water runoff management options
• Outline recommendations for sustainable urban drainage systems (SuDS) following consultation with our client
• Provide initial design parameters for drainage components, such as soakaways, ponds and streams
• Are produced with the assistance of UKFloodMap4™ – the most complete and up-to-date data set currently available for surface water modelling in the UK

A sustainable surface water drainage system (SuDS) or surface water drainage strategy is a report into how surface water, usually caused by rain, affects a site and the surrounding area. It establishes how water behaves on a site and determines the runoff rate, flow pathways, and infiltration potential (the likelihood of water being soaked into the ground).

It then investigates what effect the development will have on these issues and outlines measures the developer can take so that runoff rates meet the requirements for the site set by national and local planning policy.