ECOLOGY

Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEAs) are often required to accompany planning applications to relevant local authorities and is a term used to describe a rapid assessment of the ecological features present, or potentially present, within a site and its surrounding area.

Key objectives:

• Identify the likely ecological constraints associated with a project
• Identify any mitigation measures likely to be required following the ‘Mitigation Hierarchy’
• Identify any additional surveys that may be required to inform an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA)
• Identify the opportunities offered by a project to deliver ecological enhancement (CIEEM 2017 2^ndedition)

A desk study is often carried out in conjunction with the PEA to collect all existing ecological data about the site.

These surveys provide information on:

• Which species are present, or potentially present on the site;
• The potential impacts of the development on a particular species;
• The legal and planning policy issues that may need to be addressed.

Initial PEA surveys and assessments can identify if further ecological surveys will be required to enable a smooth route through the planning process. If there are no constraints identified by such surveys and assessments, then it is likely that no further surveys will be required.

Our ecologists at AVRIO are all members of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), have extensive experience in PEA preparation and have carried out numerous such ecological assessments throughout NI and the UK.