Habitat Creation Services

Wildlife Habitat Creation

When it comes to executing complex infrastructure projects with an eye on the environment, it’s vital to balance regulatory compliance with practical on-site delivery.

From developers and planners to landowners and site managers, a wide range of people are up against strict planning laws that require a deep understanding of ecology alongside heavy construction capabilities.

To bridge the gap between the two, we work closely with an experienced team of ecological contracting specialists who handle the physical installation of your mitigation assets.

Offering a broad range of services and supported by experienced ecologists, the team we work with ensures that all new habitats are built for the long-term success of development projects all over the country.

Rather than simply offering theoretical advice, the partner company focuses on delivering solutions for habitat creation services to meet all legal requirements.

Through habitat creation projects, the specialist is able to implement solutions to physically restore habitats and fight against habitat loss.

The Benefits of Habitat Creation

Professional habitat design is a critical component of modern land development that shows an intention to promote sustainable development and deliver measurable environmental returns.

With it, developers and planners can not only retain ecological value but build on it, making it stronger than it was before the planning project started.

By proactively building high-quality natural assets, you can satisfy planning departments, avoid costly project delays, and actively support local wildlife.

In addition to that, other benefits include:

Aquatic Health

Through focusing on the health of freshwater habitats, our partner’s designs can improve water quality and safeguard sources of clean water across catchment areas.

Maximising Site Potential

In creating habitats out of otherwise unusable parcels of land, our partner can unlock significant ecological value and increase the overall biodiversity value of the site.

Regulatory Compliance

Our partner builds features that help developers and planners to achieve biodiversity net gain (BNG), offsetting the environmental impact of construction and ensuring that the mandate is met accordingly.

Strategic Policy Alignment

All installations are designed to align with the government’s Environmental Improvement Plan (EIP), supporting nationwide nature recovery and large-scale landscape recovery networks.

Targeted Conservation

Aiming to give vulnerable local flora and fauna the best possible chance of establishment, our partner helps to promote biodiversity by designing spaces that mirror natural ecosystems.

Types of Habitat Creation

Every development site presents unique ecological challenges, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to mitigation.

Our partner uses specialist machinery and targeted management techniques to deliver high-quality habitats that support local wildlife, including the wide range of protected species and invasive species across the country.

From needing a dry terrestrial refuge to a complex wetland ecosystem, a comprehensive suite of practical installation services is available to enrich the area’s local biodiversity.

Hibernacula

For sites supporting reptiles and amphibians, the construction of safe overwintering shelters is an important step towards clearing your ecological planning conditions.

The team we work with constructs bespoke hibernacula and refugia in accordance with the specifications of Natural England.

Each of the structures offers a critical microclimate to safeguard protected species from extreme weather and predators during the vulnerable winter months.

To keep costs down, our partner can even utilise existing stockpiles of suitable construction materials already on the site, or they can source and import appropriate logs, stones and soils if resources aren’t available.

Planting, Turfing and Seeding

Establishing dense and resilient vegetation layers is key to replacing the green space lost during initial groundworks and land clearing.

Our partner handles the professional creation of diverse woodland habitats, alongside the planting of native shrubs, hedgerows and meadow grasslands.

It provides a rich variety of plant species to make sure that the habitats created establish effectively, including high-quality wildflower turf, amenity turf, specialised seed mixes and plug plants.

Every planting scheme is carefully tailored around a specific habitat creation strategy to ensure that the site meets its designated habitat target.

To protect vulnerable native species from being choked out, our partner provides robust mechanical and chemical vegetation management.

It includes comprehensive invasive species control to eradicate destructive Schedule 9 plants like Japanese knotweed and Himalayan balsam, using the best-suited methodology for the environment.

Every installation is backed by custom habitat enhancement programmes and dedicated aftercare packages to guarantee that the vegetation thrives over time.

Turf Translocation

When an environmentally sensitive ecosystem sits directly within a proposed construction footprint, destroying it is not the only option.

Our partner specialises in habitat restoration through advanced turf and tree translocation.

Using machinery equipped with specialist attachments, they can carefully lift, move and replant mature stock, including whole sections of ancient wildflower turf, specimen trees and established hedgerows.

The precision technique preserves the local seed bank, maintains connected habitats, and instantly boosts the ecological maturity of the receiving site.

Wildlife Pond Creation

Aquatic features are incredibly effective for hitting steep biodiversity targets, but they require expert handling to avoid structural leaks, poor water retention and ecological stagnation.

Our partner’s expertise in wildlife pond creation and management covers everything from minor wetland scrapes to large-scale mitigation reservoirs.

The team has a thorough understanding of the strict seasonal constraints and complex licensing processes surrounding great crested newts, ensuring all works are timed perfectly to protect local populations.

Our partner aims to create sustainable ecosystems that fit your specific geography, constructing a wildlife-rich habitat using either heavy-duty synthetic liners or working with the site’s existing soils to form natural clay seals.

If the site features an old and silted-up waterbody that has lost its ecological function, our partner also uses specialised machinery to restore habitats through desilting, bank profiling and careful ongoing management.

Habitat Creation and Management Support

Building a new habitat is a massive step in meeting the requirements of your local council, followed by making sure that it matures correctly and complies with the long-term legal agreements.

For this to be done correctly, you need structured maintenance, management strategies and professional oversight from a qualified and experienced habitat installation team.

While the team at Arbtech are experts in ecology, arboriculture and more, the creation of suitable habitats is organised by the specialist company we work with.

As with many of our services, however, we can collaborate with different service providers, such as helping you with a habitat management and monitoring plan (HMMP) alongside our partner’s practical input. That way, there can be a fully considered approach using nature-based solutions that meets the standards of the local authorities and the Environment Agency (EA).

Alongside delivering BNG or supporting biodiversity value for other purposes, the partner team has also been known to create professional documentation and a high standard of service delivery to strengthen applications for green funding initiatives, such as the Species Survival Fund (SSF) or capital grants from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF).

Reach Out for a Specialist Referral

Whether you need to deliver a complex habitat creation and restoration scheme to satisfy a BNG requirement and enhance biodiversity or habitat management services to maintain an existing asset, our network of experts can help.

Regardless of what your situation is, all you need to do is reach out to our team by filling out a contact form, calling us or emailing us, and we can point you in the right direction and get you a free quote to consider.

Based on our referral, you will get the support you need from our specialist partner, moving your planning project forward safely, legally and efficiently.