Ecological Screening Assessment – Bristol

Why am I being asked for An Ecological Screening Assessment?

One of the “planning application requirements” listed for Bristol City Council is an Ecological Screening Assessment .

An Ecological Screening Assessment is required for all planning applications excepting

• Advertisement Consent
• Certificates of existing and proposed lawful development and uses
• Non material amendment

So if you are building an extension, or a new garage, or a swimming pool, or a home gym then you will need to complete An Ecological Screening Assessment.

View from Castle Park Bristol

What is in an Ecological Screening Assessment?

An Ecological Screening Assessment are not described anywhere on the Bristol Council Website, but we can bower inspiration for more organised authorities, such as Devon. In affect an ecological screen assessment will attempt to answer the below questions, and if any are answered yes then a proper preliminary ecological assessment will be required.

• The application site (red line) is greater than 0.1 hectares?
• Involves demolition of a building?
• Involves works to a roof, roof space, weather boarding or hanging tiles e.g. loft conversion, roof raising, extensions, solar panels.
• Involves works to a quarry or built structures such as bridges, viaducts, aqueducts, tunnels, mines, kilns, ice houses, military fortifications, air raid shelters, cellars and similar underground ducts and structures.
• Involves the development of wind turbine(s), including domestic turbines.
• Will illuminate / cause light spill onto a building, mature tree (see ix), woodland, field hedge, pasture, watercourse, water body, tree line or a known bat roost.
• Impacts on a watercourse, intertidal area or standing open water (e.g. ponds, reedbeds) excluding ornamental garden fish ponds.
• Removes, or moves, part / all of a hedge or line of trees (excluding non-native or urban hedges unless > 10m being removed).
• Is within or may impact on (including impacts on hydrology), a woodland or a substantial area of scrub connected to a woodland or hedge.
• Involves surgery to or felling of a mature tree with obvious holes, cracks or cavities, dense ivy, deadwood, bird / bat box (i.e. features which may be a bat roost).
• Involves removal of tussocky (rough) grassland, wet grassland, flower rich grassland or heathland (heather/gorse present).
• Involves lighting or removal of a tree line, woodland, hedges or pasture within a bat consultation zone within a bat consultation zone e.g., the South Hams SAC Sustenance Zones and Landscape Connectivity Zones (can be viewed on the Devon County Council Environment Viewer “Statutory Sites” layer – please ask the LPA during pre-ap discussions).
• May impact directly or indirectly (via a watercourse or air pollution pathway) on a designated wildlife site (Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Area, Sites of Special Scientific Interest, County Wildlife Site, Local Nature Reserve, Special Verge
• Has a clear link to increased recreational use of the coast i.e., involves the expansion of or new facilities for kayaks, paddleboarding, wild swimming, personal watercraft, coasteering or other activities, or consists of tourist accommodation directly linked to these activities (please ask the LPA during pre-ap discussions).

Above criteria are from the Devon county council checklist, but give an indication of what might be required in a Bristol checklist.

If you need a screen assessment in Bristol then please do contact us.