A small selection of the very large and diverse portfolio of successful projects:
CBMDC South Pennine Moors SPA foraging Studies
Brooks Ecological was appointed by City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council to carry out ornithological foraging studies of sites being considered for inclusion in the Local Plan. Our use of thermography proved particularly useful in assessing whether fields were used at night by the South Pennines Moors Special Protection Area Qualifying species like Golden Plover.
Bretton Hall, Wakefield
Working for Rushbond in partnership with the City of Wakefield Metropolitan District Council and Yorkshire Sculpture Park, the proposals for the re-use and re-development of the Bretton Hall Estate involve the creation of a luxury hotel alongside new workspace and office accommodation within a mix of new and also refurbished buildings.
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The site supports a number of important bat roosts and needed careful judgement and planning to ensure that the development was not compromised. We have devised and overseen the complex phased licensing and on site mitigation needed to deliver the project successfully for conservation needs and developer requirements.
Church Fields Boston Spa
Working for Taylor Wimpey we took this site through planning, appeal and ultimately helped deliver an award winning development. Key to delivery was the innovative approach to its landscape provision. We knew this site had potential to become an important site for wildlife due to its underlying geology. We pushed hard for this to be made into the scarce habitat of magnesium limestone grassland. Careful analysis of soil horizons and mineral content allowed us to design an appropriate soil stripping scheme, exposing just the right conditions for the species associated with this important habitat to thrive. This site has become a much loved landscape teeming with wildlife and possibly the best example we can think of where development has lead to a really significant increase in biodiversity.
DEFRA eDNA Pond Surveys
We were appointed to survey 150 ponds across Lincolnshire and Yorkshire as part of Natural England's monitoring of the District License process. This involved eDNA sampling and a great deal of organisational work to ensure all ponds could be accessed and surveyed in a short seasonal window.
Blubberhouse Moors SSSI Condition Assessment, Natural England
Our team of skilled upland habitat surveyors helped Natural England assess the condition of these large blanket bog dry heath and acid grassland SSSI's in the Yorkshire Dales National Park. This work identified key indicators of habitat condition like overgrazing, burning on sensitive peats, Invasive plant incursion and peat erosion.
Ireland Bridge, Bingley
Working for City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council we helped deliver complex licensed mitigation for a very large maternity colony of Daubenton's bats roosting in a medieval bridge spanning the River Aire.
Works involved all necessary surveys and licensing, mitigation design, exclusion of the bats during works, supervision of the dismantling and rebuild of the bridge and monitoring the successful return of bats to this important roost site.
Snowdonia National Park Hydro-schemes
​We have significant experience of delivering hydro-electricity schemes. Drawing on our skills in upland ecology, riparian habitats and fauna to present robust baseline assessments for planners and regulators we have devised and overseen effective mitigation schemes to prevent pollution of the aquatic environment, reduce effects on soil hydrology and to avoid sites with sensitive plant species. ​