| Recent Projects. |
| Caulklands Landfill Site, Badger Exclusion. Badgers were identified occupying a sett in a large pile of rocks on the landfill site. An artificial sett was constructed and
the badgers excluded from the rocks using one way gates in an electric fence. |
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Mickle Trafford, Badger Exclusion. Badgers were identified excavating a large amount of soil from underneath the railway line. An artificial badger sett was constructed and
one way gates fitted to the sett entrances to exclude the badgers. |
| Settrington Footbridge, Water Vole Survey and Exclusion. North Yorkshire County Council needed to carry out repairs to this footbridge over a stream. Two flood grates
either end of the bridge had been blocked with accumulated silt and therefore the banks of the stream needed to be re-contoured. An initial survey identified water vole burrows. A method
statement was approved by English Nature and the Environment Agency and water voles were excluded from the work site. |
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Soudem Viaduct, Protected Fauna Survey. Maintenance and repair work was required to be carried out on the Soudem Viaduct. A protected fauna survey was carried out
which identified the viaduct as free of bats although badger setts and reptiles were identified close to the access track. |
| Wentworth Estate, Great Crested Newt Exclusion. Wentworth Castle and Gardens is an important historical site that is currently undergoing extensive restoration using
Heritage Lottery funding. Two populations of great crested newts have been identified on the site. We hold a DEFRA licence for the site and have used a variety of mitigation techniques to protect
the newts and amphibians on the site. |
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Wilsford and Rauceby, Great Crested Newt Exclusion. The Grantham to Bridlington railway line runs through the Wilsford and Rauceby SSSI with a population of Great Crested
Newts. A DEFRA licence was obtained, one way amphibian fencing erected around the site compound and procedures put in place to protect the newts during maintenance and improvement works to the line. |
| Fairthorn, Bat Survey and Mitigation. The existing buildings on this site were to be demolished prior to construction of a new block of thirty retirement apartments. A brown long eared bat
roost was identified in the loft of the existing buildings during an initial survey. The photo right shows a new summer house with replacement roost above which was provided prior to demolition
of existing buildings on site. |
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Field House Farm, Bat Survey. Planning Authorities require bat surveys to be carried out in connection with planning applications to convert buildings in order to comply with
planning guidance PP09. This is an example of the many buildings surveyed for bats during the last year. |
| Bessie Gill, Crayfish Survey, Licence and Mitigation. Urgent railway repairs to the West Coast Main Line necessitated the construction of a work platform in the river at the bottom
of the embankment. Initial surveys identified white clawed crayfish in the river. An English Nature Crayfish Conservation Licence was obtained and all crayfish excluded from the work area in
advance of construction. |
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Ampthill Pond, GCN Survey and Mitigation. The railway cutting side on the Midland Main Line south of Ampthill Tunnel was slipping due to bad drainage. Remediation work included installing
new drainage which would remove the existing flooded ditch in which great crested newts breed. This new pond was constructed to provide replacement habitat. |
| Danzey Bank, Badger Survey and Artificial Sett Construction. Badgers were undermining this railway line and threatening the safety of the line. This artificial badger sett was
constructed as a replacement prior to excluding the badgers from under the line. This artificial sett has proved very successful and has been well used for the last four years. |
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