Supporting a Solar Development in Essex with Ecological Planning and Biodiversity Net Gain

At a glance 

Delivering ecological surveys, protected species assessments and Biodiversity Net Gain to help a renewable energy project progress through planning.

As renewable energy developments continue to expand across the UK, developers face increasing pressure to demonstrate that projects can be delivered without causing unacceptable impacts on wildlife or habitats. Careful ecological planning is now an essential part of the planning process.

Collington Winter Environmental was appointed to provide ecological consultancy services for a proposed solar photovoltaic (PV) and battery energy storage development in Waltham Abbey, Essex. The project required a comprehensive Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA), protected species surveys and a Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) strategy that would satisfy both national policy and local planning requirements.

The Project

The proposed development covered intensively managed arable farmland that was intersected by hedgerows, drainage ditches and woodland edges. While much of the site had been cultivated for agriculture, these landscape features provided important habitat and commuting corridors for protected species including water voles and bats.

The project needed to balance the delivery of renewable energy infrastructure with the protection of legally protected species and the requirement to achieve statutory Biodiversity Net Gain.

The Challenge

Although the site was suitable for development, several ecological constraints had to be addressed before planning could progress.

Hedgerows and woodland edges provided valuable habitat connectivity, while watercourses offered potential habitat for water voles. At the same time, the development needed to deliver measurable biodiversity improvements rather than simply avoid ecological harm.

Without robust ecological evidence and carefully designed mitigation, the planning process could have been delayed or additional surveys requested.

The project successfully achieved significant ecological improvements while allowing the development to move forward.

The final scheme delivered:

• More than 10% Biodiversity Net Gain across all habitat types.
• A 15.38% increase in habitat area units.
• A 14.63% increase in hedgerow units.
• A 21.44% increase in watercourse units.

The project also safeguarded habitats used by water voles while preserving important linear features used by foraging and commuting bats, improving ecological connectivity across the site.

By following the mitigation hierarchy and incorporating biodiversity into the final design, the scheme remained fully aligned with planning policy and was able to progress through the planning process.