News
Landscape Design – University of Hertfordshire: Progress Report
Phase 1 Complete We are pleased to be able to report that in October 2014 the construction of Phase I of the Hertfordshire University residential area was completed and handed over to U-living (facilities management service for the University of Hertfordshire). This...
Wildlife and development – Urban Areas are a Haven for Bees
A recent study published in the Proceedings of the Royal Society B (Baldock et al., 2015), has found that bees succeed just as well in urban areas as they do in farmland and nature reserves. Bees and other pollinators are incredibly important in supporting the UK's...
Round up 2015 – Part 3: Delirious over Dormice
The Itinerant Ecologist and friends (you know who you are, you lovely people!) are active with the National Dormouse Monitoring Programme managed by the Peoples Trust for Endangered Species. For you acronym anoraks out there, that's the NDMP and PTES. PTES do a lot of...
EIA Screening Threshold Changes
The Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Directive has been amended and codified several times since its implementation some 30 years ago. The current Directive (2014/52/EU) adopted in 2014, made several amendments to the previous iteration and is required to be...
Round up 2014 – Part 2: Triumphs, Tribulations and Translocations
The Landmark Practice and its own Itinerant Ecologist have been undertaking a translocation of great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) and grass snakes (Natrix natrix) at a site in the Cotswold Water Park. Great crested newts (GCNs) receive a high level of protection...
Round up 2014 – Part 1: Boxes or Bottles?
Like most ecologists the start of the survey season means one thing for the Landmark Practice's Itinerant Ecologist... GREAT CRESTED NEWTS! (or GCN for those who love an acronym!) The Itinerant Ecologist had a busy 2014 surveying ponds, undertaking...
Custom build schemes, putting communities first.
George Monbiot's article explores the absence of safe areas of play within today's housing estates. It's not short of a sound bite or two to grab the attention. That being said, there is certainly substance, and ample evidence, to support the emotive language in...
Botanical Surveys to determine air pollution impacts
During the summer of 2014 our ecologists were busy undertaking heathland and bog surveys, to assess the long-term impact of air pollution on vegetation. All species (both higher and lower plants) were identified in a 2 m x 2m quadrat. The data was recorded directly...
Creative Planning for Solar PV
A challenging future The future for field scale ground mounted Solar PV is set to become yet more challenging. The recently published DECC consultation document makes clear the Government's intention to close the current ROC funding mechanism to new solar PV...
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