BREEAM Ecology Report
Arbtech’s ecological and habitat survey reports for the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM) and Code for Sustainable Homes (CfSH) have been hailed as outstanding examples of their type, by the Building Research Establishment (BRE) themselves.
Last week, Kim Dine, BREEAM Technical Consultant for the BRE contacted Robert Oates, managing director at Arbtech, to ask permission to use an outstanding example of a BREEAM Ecology Report she had come across, in the 2011 BREEAM training sessions for all Assessors.
“Further to our telephone conversation I would like to confirm that BRE Global would like to use your document BREEAM Ecology Assessment (attached) for training purposes on BREEAM courses run by BRE Global as an example of documentary evidence which may be given to an assessor carrying out a BREEAM assessment. The document may be used in both in and out of classroom on exercises and so may be copied and distributed to students.” –Kim Dine, BREEAM Technical Consultant, BRE Global (2011)
Arbtech publicly recognized for ecology expertise by the B.R.E.
This is an extraordinary lift to the spirits of our field surveyors and seniors. The fact that the BRE, the accreditation body and standard bearer for sustainability in construction, want to use our reports is simply fantastic. Everyone at Arbtech is delighted that our competitive, concise and fast reports are every bit as useful and reliable as other, more expensive and unnecessarily wordy documents.
BREEAM Ecology Reports need to be produced by what the BRE determine a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE). This means the author of the report must be educated and trained in ecology and conservation principles and at least be a full professional Member of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Assessment (IEEM). IEEM is the professional body in the U.K. for ecological surveyors, consultants and other professionals; driving the quality and standards of the industries it represents forwards, to the mutual benefit of those employed in the industry and clients and other stakeholders of our advice and actions.
Ecology Reports for BREEAM (see the technical manual) and CfSH assessments both enable developers to gain credits towards attaining a standard e.g. “excellent”, which is a rating system of finished developments. Land Use and Ecology credits take in such matters as biodiversity enhancements, the protection of species and conservation of habitats.
How can Arbtech help me and what does it cost?
Arbtech can help you achieve BREEAM and CfSH credits in a cost effective manner. We visit your site and conduct either a Phase 1 Habitat Survey (from £500) or some other form of baseline assessment e.g. a walkover ecological survey (from £400). These prices include our time, our traveling and other expenses, and a report, but exclude value added tax. Such surveys enable us to locate you on a spectrum, in terms of your site’s biodiversity value or worth. From here, we update the survey to BREEAM or CfSH standards, integrating their templates and requirements into your report and making simple, economical and plain English recommendations for conservation and enhancement work tat gains you the maximum number of credits you can achieve in your site’s limitations and budget. This can cost anything from £280 for a small, simple site, all the way up to several thousand pounds for a complex site e.g. a master planned 1,000+ home new development. Again, these prices include our time, our traveling and other expenses, and a report, but exclude value added tax.
To find out a little more about ecology reports and surveys, or to have a pragmatic and informal chat with a specialist, call 08450 176950 or write to email@arbtech.co.uk.
