Information and guidance on how to look after our biodiversity in Dorset when planning a project.
Dorset’s natural environment is home to a wide range of rare and special habitats and species. This is recognised by the large number of designated and protected sites, ecological networks and the number of protected species which are found in the county, such as sand lizards, nightjar, dormice, great crested newts and all 17 species of bats. Dorset Council aims to protect and enhance nature for the wildlife and people of the county.
Projects which do not require planning permission
Sometimes permission is not necessary for a project, however the wildlife legislation still applies, which means you could be breaking the law if you impact protected species and habitats. Works such as the following should be subject to an ecological assessment:
- hedgerow removal
- works within 10 metres of a watercourse or 500 metres from a pond
- works to bridges, underground structures and tunnels
- works on a designated wildlife site
- works involving demolition
- barn conversions
- works involving internal and external alterations to roof structures
Further information on the types of ecological surveys, where to find an ecologist and the timing constraints for surveys can be found in Indicative ecological survey season guide.
Planning applications and listed building consent
Dorset Council have a legal duty to conserve and enhance biodiversity and several species and habitats found in Dorset are protected by law. If you are submitting a planning application or Listed Building Consent the Planning Team will routinely ask for ecology reports to be submitted prior to validating your application.
Most application types are within the scope of the Dorset Biodiversity Appraisal Protocol (DBAP). This applies to all development sites of 0.1ha or greater in size, or where there are known protected species or important habitats/habitat features.
Technical information on the DBAP is available and the following pages provide guidance on what ecological information to submit and the process for this.
- Householder, listed building consent and standalone barn conversions
- Minor applications
- Major applications
- Mineral and waste
What do I need to do?
Biodiversity is a material consideration when determining planning applications and Listed Building Consents (LBCs) and as such needs to be considered when the Planning Officer makes their decision on your application. The Dorset Council Natural Environment Team (DC NET) provide advice to the Planning Authority on the impacts of proposals on biodiversity, based on the information you provide to support your application. We need adequate information to inform our advice and without this we cannot be certain of the impacts of the proposal, and this could be a reason for the Planning Officers to refuse your application.
Prior to submitting your planning application, you must complete a biodiversity checklist. The checklist questions are integrated into the application forms on the Planning Portal. The Biodiversity Checklist will tell you what information is required to support your planning application and, for proposals which will impact on an area less than 0.1ha, it will provide an indication of the surveys which are likely to be required. Where surveys, ecology reports or a Biodiversity Plan (BP) are required these must be conducted by a suitably qualified person and surveys must be undertaken within the correct ecological season. If survey reports recommend further surveys these must also be undertaken prior to submission of the planning application. Only once all surveys and reports have been completed should these be submitted with your planning application.
What to provide, when
The following table shows which pieces of information need to be provided for the different types of applications, and at which stage in the planning process these need to be submitted. The Planning Validation Team will check your application and any documentation. Where incorrect or incomplete information has been provided, it could lead to delays in validating your application.
| Application type | Validation stage | Live application stage |
|---|---|---|
| Householder, Listed Building Consent or standalone barn conversion | Biodiversity Checklist Where the checklist indicates ecology surveys are required: or A completed Biodiversity Plan (word or pdf) and ecology report(s) |
Where within scope of DBAP: NET approved Biodiversity Plan and Certificate of Approval |
| Minor development | Biodiversity Checklist Where the checklist indicates ecology surveys are required: Negative ecology report or Ecology report(s) |
Where within scope of DBAP: NET approved ecology report, and Certificate of Approval |
| Major development | Biodiversity Checklist Ecology report(s) |
NET approved ecology report, and Certificate of Approval |
| Minerals and Waste | Not applicable | NET will advise on ecology as a consultee without providing formal certification of ecology report |
Ecological survey and reports
In most cases a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) is the first step to identify any direct evidence of protected species and any habitat suitable to support protected species on site, and whether any further specific protected species surveys or vegetation surveys are required. Many ecological surveys are subject to survey season timing constraints, see the Indicative ecological survey season guide for more information on survey timing.
It is the responsibility of the applicant to have all necessary ecological surveys undertaken. It remains the responsibility of applicants employing consultants to ensure they are competent in the required area of operation and fully understand the requirements of the work for which they have been engaged. It is advisable to ask for a licence number and references before employing a consultant for licensable work and obtain several quotes from different consultants for comparison
| Survey name | Description |
|---|---|
| Preliminary Roost Appraisal (PRA) | Check for evidence of bats or potential roost locations. |
| Breeding Bird Survey | Check for evidence of breeding birds. |
| Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) | Initial survey of the potential of the site to support protected species and important habitats (this will often lead to an EcIA being required, depending on what’s found in the initial survey). |
| Phase 2 survey | More detailed survey looking at a specific species. |
| Botanical survey | Detailed survey of the vegetation onsite. |
| Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) | Assessment of the proposal and its likely impacts on the identified biodiversity features of the site. |
Great Crested Newt Licensing Scheme
If a development may affect potential or existing great crested newt ponds, associated aquatic and/or terrestrial habitats, the impact must be assessed in accordance with Natural England standing advice and this may include a requirement for a separate European Protected Species mitigation licence.
Under the Dorset Council GCN licensing scheme, developers can choose to make a conservation payment for the creation of new ponds to secure and enhance GCNs more widely in Dorset, instead of carrying out detailed surveys and on-site mitigation as required by the ‘traditional’ licensing route. Reasonable Avoidance Measures (RAMs) will need to be included in the ecology report(s), reviewed under the DBAP, but use of the Dorset Council scheme is expected to be quicker and simpler than the existing licence application process.
The first step is to establish whether a development is eligible. This is confirmed when requesting standard data searches from Dorset Environmental Records Centre (DERC), who will confirm eligibility through reference to a risk map. Then, an impact assessment using a 250m buffer around the development boundary is undertaken to assess the required number of compensation ponds or equivalent if terrestrial habitat will be lost. This assessment considers survey data if available, provided it is less than 4 years old. DERC will also confirm if any additional GCN survey data is available for the development site and the 250m buffer.
The development site boundary and pond survey data must be submitted as GIS data files with the application form to NET. DERC can provide these for an applicant if requested.
For more information and to avoid delays in the application process please refer to the GCN Licensing scheme guidelines.
Download the Great Crested Newt licensing scheme application form.