Badgers
Badger Surveys and Mitigation
Ecologists have obtained the necessary licenses for undertaking developing projects which involve badgers. Our clients receive a bespoke approach to each of their projects to ensure development needs are met, as well as the legal requirements of badgers.
Badgers receive strict protection under the Protection of Badgers Act 1992 and Schedule 6 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 (as amended). Where disturbance to badgers or their setts is unavoidable a licence is required prior to any work.
Initial Survey
When applying for planning permission on a project that has the potential to disturb badgers and their setts, a presence/absence survey may be required before planning can be approved. Once a survey has been completed, a report which is suitable for satisfying the requirements of planning authorities will be published; this will identify potential impacts on protected species that may occur, suggest mitigation measures and any further work required. This report will be submitted with the planning application to the relevant planning ecologist for comment; if evidence of badgers have been found, further surveys may be required.
Further Survey Work
When a confirmed badger sett has been identified a detailed assessment of the land is required to establish the territorial boundaries of the badger social groups using the area and the distribution of all the local setts and their status. This is to determine which, if any, are in use and to see if there is an alternative sett to which the badgers could move within their own territory. Only the main sett is likely to be in continuous use, and it is threats to the main sett which pose the greatest problem. If it is an annexe, subsidiary or outlying sett which is being threatened, then it is fairly easy to persuade the badgers to abandon the threatened sett without moving off their territory.
Licence Application
Most types of building work within 20 metres of a badger sett will require a licence. The use of very heavy machinery including soil cultivation which would cause a disturbance and or ground vibration, within 30 metres of a sett is also licensable.
Once planning permission has been approved a licence application can be made to Natural England, once the application has been processed it can take up to one month to receive a response. The application requires a mitigation 'method statement' describing how badgers will be conserved on site after development. Typical mitigation includes avoiding sensitive times of year and depending on the type of sett affected, set destruction, sett exclusion or artificial sett design and implementation.
Survey Timings
Badger surveys can be carried out throughout the year, the most effective time is between March and May when vegetation cover is reduced. Actions that may disturb badgers must be licensed by the appropriate statutory agency and are restricted to the period between 1 July and 30 November.
The protected species timetable provides information on when bat survey and mitigation can be carried out.
We work across the North East offering our services at highly competitive rates and covenant all our profits to Durham Wildlife Trust. Our pragmatic and personal approach allows us to provide a bespoke service for each individual client when dealing with development issues. Mitigation designs are always discussed and agreed with our clients so the best possible design can be created which is subtle within the proposed development, whilst still providing the necessary mitigation for badgers.
To discuss your project further please call the office on 01388 488885, or if you would like to request a fee quote for your project contact us by email at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it with your contact details and the necessary details of the project.