Winter is the ideal time to manage vegetation, in avoiding the bird nesting season. Providing that consideration is given to other protected species, vegetation cutting and clearance should be undertaken now to minimise potential delays during the spring and summer. The nesting season is not defined in law, but generally taken as March to August, inclusive. However, a mild spring can see nesting starting in February.
Development sites can take a while to reach fruition, whilst they go through the planning system. Whilst they do, we strongly recommend that the management of sites is kept up – grassland, arable land and hedgerows should continue to be managed as they have been. Allowing rough grassland or set-aside to develop can result in habitats suitable for protected species, such as reptiles and great crested newts. This can lead to translocation exercises costing tens of thousands of pounds, as well as introducing weeks or months of delay to project timetables.
For any advice regarding vegetation clearance and management, please contact our Ecology team.
