{"id":828,"date":"2026-09-17T12:55:25","date_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:55:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/?p=828"},"modified":"2026-09-17T12:55:25","modified_gmt":"2026-09-17T11:55:25","slug":"preliminary-ecological-appraisal-for-residential-development-in-wickford-essex","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/2026\/09\/17\/preliminary-ecological-appraisal-for-residential-development-in-wickford-essex\/","title":{"rendered":"Preliminary Ecological Appraisal for Residential Development in Wickford, Essex"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

Preliminary Ecological Appraisal for Residential Development in Wickford, Essex<\/h1>\n
\"River

Low tide on the River Hythe Essex, showing exposed saltmarsh mudflats with a marina and town skyline in the background.<\/p><\/div>\n

Southwest Environmental Limited was instructed by a planning consultancy to prepare a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) for a proposed residential development in Wickford, Essex[cite: 4]. The site is located within the jurisdiction of the local planning authority in Essex[cite: 4]. The proposed development encompasses the erection of two chalet bungalows, alongside associated amenity space and parking facilities[cite: 4]. This ecological assessment was completed with a short lead time to facilitate the applicant’s planning submission schedule.<\/p>\n

Methodology and Baseline Habitat Survey<\/h2>\n

A desktop review and field survey were conducted by a Project Ecologist[cite: 4]. The habitat classification was mapped following the standard methodology set out by the UK Habitat Classification (UKHab)<\/a>[cite: 4]. The survey identified the site primarily as modified grassland featuring a heavily maintained, short sward[cite: 4]. Additional habitat features recorded on the site include a small area of sparsely vegetated land, a sealed surface paving area, and a line of trees situated along the northern boundary[cite: 4].<\/p>\n

Protected Species Assessment and Statutory Compliance<\/h2>\n

The site was assessed for its potential to support protected species in accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981<\/a> and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017<\/a>[cite: 4]. The appraisal concluded that the site has a low likelihood of supporting bats, reptiles, mammals, and amphibians[cite: 4]. This is primarily due to the heavily managed nature of the grassland, the open exposure of the site, and a lack of suitable microhabitats or roosting features within the small trees[cite: 4].<\/p>\n

The line of trees does present a high likelihood for supporting breeding birds and common invertebrates during appropriate seasons[cite: 4]. To ensure compliance with national legislation protecting nesting birds, any vegetation clearance or tree felling must be undertaken outside the typical bird breeding season of March to August, unless preceded by a nesting bird check conducted by a qualified ecologist[cite: 4].<\/p>\n

Site Evaluation and SSSI Proximity<\/h2>\n

Desk studies indicated that the site is located within the Impact Risk Zone of Influence for the Crouch and Roach Estuaries Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)[cite: 4]. This SSSI is designated for its intertidal mud, saltmarsh, and grazing marshes, which support internationally important numbers of Dark-bellied Brent Geese[cite: 4]. Due to the low biodiversity value of the proposed development site, its former agricultural nature, and poor habitat quality, the project is anticipated to have a negligible effect on the SSSI[cite: 4].<\/p>\n

Ecological Recommendations and Conclusion<\/h2>\n

The site is evaluated as having low nature conservation value at a county or district level[cite: 4]. Consequently, no further Phase 2 protected species surveys are recommended for this project[cite: 4]. To achieve localized biodiversity enhancements, the implementation of native pollinator plant species, bat boxes, and bird boxes has been formally advised within the site plan[cite: 4].<\/p>\n

For more information on our environmental surveying capabilities, please visit the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal services page on www.southwest-environmental.co.uk<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Please contact us if you would like a fixed price quotation.<\/p>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Preliminary Ecological Appraisal for Residential Development in Wickford, Essex Southwest Environmental Limited was instructed by a planning consultancy to prepare a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) for a proposed residential development in Wickford, Essex[cite: 4]. The site is located within the jurisdiction of the local planning authority in Essex[cite: 4]. The proposed development encompasses the erection […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[75,134,115],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-828","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-ecology","category-essex","category-london-locations"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=828"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":830,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/828\/revisions\/830"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=828"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=828"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/southwest-environmental.co.uk\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=828"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}