Udall-Martin Associates conducted an Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA) report for repairs to Leawood railway aqueduct (a Scheduled Ancient Monument) on Cromford Canal Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI). It is a nationally important canal habitat site and a county important site for water vole.
Works involved temporary canal draining and the creation of access roads along the towpath. We carried out an Extended Phase-1 habitat survey, desk study and further Phase-2 surveys (roosting bat survey, water vole survey and white-clawed crayfish survey). There were potential impacts to notable habitats, a locally notable floral species (small teasel), amphibians, common pipistrelle bat, reptiles and water vole.
We produced an EcIA report (the format for the assessment broadly following the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management guidelines) (with recommendations to protect and conserve this nationally important site and its associated protected and notable species), a Mitigation Method Statement, a European Protected Species (EPS) mitigation licence for common pipistrelle bat, a water vole report and Restoration Plan. The Restoration Plan also provided details for enhancing the site, particularly for water vole.
All our reports were submitted to and approved by Natural England (Derbyshire and Peak District local team and the national Wildlife Licensing Unit). All reports were approved without any need for amendments.
We were contracted by a local authority in 2010. The repair works went ahead in summer 2011. We have subsequently provided on-site supervision and will be carrying out ecological monitoring in 2012 and 2013.
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- Railway Aqueduct Before
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- Drained Canal
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- Aqueduct Repairs
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- Works Completed
Ecological Impact Assessments:
We have the capability to carry out formal Ecology Chapters in Environmental Impact Assessments, (EIA) and informal Ecological Impact Assessment (EcIA), involving scoping studies, ecological surveys (Phase-1 habitat surveys and further Phase-2 surveys if required) to provide the baseline data and reports following Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) Guidelines for EcIA.
We offer a quality service at competitive rates. If you’d like to discuss a project (large or small) with our team, get in contact using the information below:
E: susie@umassociates.co.uk
T: 01684 540695