Navigating your way through BREEAM criteria can be a chore: Which criteria are applicable? Do you need to consider any specific compliance notes? What are you responsible for providing? When do you need to produce things? Will you need to follow up post-construction?
The BREEAM manual isn’t exactly the most user-friendly document and it can get confusing and contradictory. In the spirit of making things as clear and straightforward as possible this post gives a summary of all the information you’ll need to provide if your Ecological Assessment is intended for BREEAM compliance (along with a few site specific nuances that you may come up against). If you’re looking for a simple way to provide evidence to a BREEAM assessor this Guidance Note GN13 is pretty quick and painless to fill in, sign and send over.
This also assumes that you’re targeting all of the Ecology credits in a BREEAM 2014 New Construction assessment and is based on the SD5076: 5.0 – 2014 BREEAM Manual.
TLDR – find exactly what you’re looking for:
Who is a suitably qualified ecologist?
When should you be involved?
Do you need to carry out a site survey?
When should the survey be carried out?
What should you be looking for during a Site Survey for BREEAM?
What ‘Features of Ecological Value’ are BRE looking for?
What are the Broad Habitat Types recognised by BRE?
Your recommendations for the landscape designs
Reviewing the landscape proposals
Your further recommendations
What else do you need to do prior to commencement of site-activity and post completion?
FAQ
Who is a suitably qualified ecologist?
An individual achieving all the following items can be considered to be ‘suitably qualified’ for the purposes of compliance with BREEAM:
- Holds a degree or equivalent qualification (e.g. N/SVQ level 5) in ecology or a related subject.
- Is a practising ecologist, with a minimum of three years relevant experience (within the last five years). Such experience must clearly demonstrate a practical understanding of factors affecting ecology in relation to construction and the built environment including; acting in an advisory capacity to provide recommendations for ecological protection, enhancement and mitigation measures. Examples of relevant experience are: ecological impact assessments; Preliminary Ecological Appraisals (PEA); Phase 2 habitat and fauna surveys; and habitat creation.
- Is covered by a professional code of conduct and subject to peer review. Full members of the following organisations, who meet the above criteria, are deemed Suitably Qualified Ecologists for the purposes of BREEAM:
- Chartered Institution of Water and Environmental Management (CIWEM)
- Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM)
- Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA)
- Landscape Institute (LI)
- The Institution of Environmental Sciences (IES)
When should you be involved?
As early as possible, RIBA Stage 1 ideally but no later than the beginning of RIBA Stage 2.
Your role during the Preparation and Brief stage (RIBA Stage 1 [A/B in old money]) will be to advise on early stage site layout and development density decisions so that opportunities to enhance site ecology are maximised. Following this your involvement at the Concept Design stage (RIBA Stage 2 [C]) will be necessary to provide more detailed ecological recommendations based on the outline design.
As your recommendations may impact on specifications worked-up by other design team members, such as landscape architects or drainage engineers, this early involvement allows the design to incorporate them.
Do you need to carry out a site survey?
Yes.
When should the survey be carried out?
You must carry out a site survey of the existing site ecology, on which your report should be based at the Concept Design stage (RIBA Stage 2) in order to facilitate and maximise potential ecological enhancement.
What should you be looking for during a Site Survey for BREEAM?
You’ll need to visit the site and do the following:
- Determine whether or not it can be classified as of ‘Low Ecological Value’
- Identify any features of ecological value (ecologically important habitats, mature hedgerows etc.)
- Make a note of the broad habitat types that define the landscape of the assessed site in its existing pre-developed state. This should include area (m²) of the existing broad habitat plot types along with the average total taxon (plant species) richness within each habitat type (although these can be confirmed after your site survey)
What ‘Features of Ecological Value’ are BRE looking for?
The following is a list of features that BRE consider of ecological value, however there may be features that you, as an ecologist, consider to be of ecological value that aren’t listed here. If this is the case you should identify these in your report anyway.
- Trees determined to be of value using one of the following measures:
- More than 10 years old (or where age is unknown where the trunk diameter is over 100mm).
- Tree of significant ecological value (as defined by BS 5837: 2012 and confirmed by the Suitably Qualified Ecologist or qualified arboriculturalist).
- Hedges and natural areas requiring protection.
- Watercourses and wetland areas.
- Nesting or roosting opportunities for birds or bats within the building.
What are the Broad Habitat Types recognised by BRE?
This is by no means an exhaustive list of Habitat Types, rather a general guide to use as a basis. If there are other Habitat Types that you identify on site or different Average Total Taxon (plant species) Richness values that you wish to use you can do this.
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Your recommendations for the landscape designs
You’ll need to make appropriate recommendations for enhancing the ecological value of the site which include, and go beyond, compliance criteria for all current EU and UK legislation relating to protected species and habitats.
Ecological recommendations are defined as measures adopted to enhance the ecology of the site. Measures may include but are not limited to:
- The planting of locally appropriate native species or non-native species with a known attraction or benefit to local wildlife.
- The adoption of horticultural good practice (e.g. no, or low, use of residual pesticides).
- The installation of bird, bat and/or insect boxes at appropriate locations on the site.
- Development of a full Biodiversity Management Plan including avoiding clearance/works at key times of the year (e.g. breeding seasons).
- The proper integration, design and maintenance of Sustainable Drainage systems (SuDS) (such as rain gardens), green roofs, green walls, community orchards, community allotments etc.
Reviewing the landscape proposals
Once you have provided your recommendations the landscape architect should provide a design that incorporates your recommendations and details the different landscape types.
As with your assessment of the sites ecological value during the site survey, you’ll need to review the landscape proposals after your recommendations have been taken on board and determine the impact of the proposed development on the overall ecological value of the site.
To quantify this you’ll need to determine the broad habitat types that define the landscape of the proposed design. This should include area (m²) of the proposed broad habitat plot types along with the average total taxon (plant species) richness within each habitat type.
See ‘What are the Broad Habitat Types recognised by BRE?’ and ‘What ‘Features of Ecological Value’ are BRE looking for?’
Your further recommendations
Confirming new ecologically valuable habitat
If, as part of your recommendations and the landscape architects design, a new ecologically valuable habitat appropriate to the local area is created, you’ll need to confirm that this includes a habitat that supports nationally, regionally or locally important biodiversity, and/or which is nationally, regionally or locally important itself; including any UK Biodiversity Action Plan (UK BAP) priority habitats, Local Biodiversity Action Plan (LBAP) habitats, those protected within statutory sites (e.g. SSSIs), or those within non-statutory sites identified in local plans.
Recommendations for on-site activity – Biodiversity Champion
As part of your recommendations you may advise that the principal contractor nominates a Biodiversity Champion with the authority to influence site activities and ensure that detrimental impacts on site biodiversity are minimised.
Recommendations for on-site activity – Site Training
As part of your recommendations you may advise that the principal contractor trains the site workforce on how to protect site ecology during the project. If so this should include specific training to be carried out for the entire site workforce to ensure they are aware of how to avoid damaging site ecology during operations on-site. Training should be based on the findings and recommendations for protection of ecological features highlighted within your report.
Recommendations for on-site activity – Site Records
As part of your recommendations you may advise that the principal contractor records actions taken to protect biodiversity and monitors their effectiveness throughout key stages of the construction process. If so this should outline that this commits the principal contractor to make such records available where publicly requested.
Recommendations for on-site activity – Programming
Where flora and/or fauna habitats exist on-site, you may advise that the contractor programmes site works to minimise disturbance to wildlife. For example, site preparation, ground works, and soft landscape works have been, or will be, scheduled at an appropriate time of year to minimise disturbance to wildlife. Timing of works may have a significant impact on, for example, breeding birds, flowering plants, seed germination, amphibians etc. Actions such as phased clearance of vegetation may help to mitigate ecological impacts. This additional requirement will be achieved where a clear plan has been produced detailing how activities will be timed to avoid any impact on site biodiversity in line with your recommendations.
What else do you need to do prior to commencement of site-activity and post completion?
Protection and enhancement of ecology
You may be appointed prior to commencement of activities on-site to confirm that all relevant UK and EU legislation relating to the protection and enhancement of ecology has been complied with during the design and construction process.
Landscape Habitat Management Plan
You may be appointed to produce a landscape and habitat management plan, appropriate to the site, covering at least the first five years after project completion in accordance with BS 42020:2013 Section 11.1. This should then be handed over to the building owner/occupants for use by the grounds maintenance staff.
FAQ
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Author: Alan Partington
