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Everything You Need To Know About Thomson Environmental Consultants

History

Thomson Environmental Consultants is a UK-based environmental and ecological consultancy. The company was founded in 2004 as Thomson Ecology and now operates under its current name with a team of over 150 specialists.

The company operates from six offices across the UK and Wales. It has a partnership with Wessex Archaeology, through which both organisations offer joint services covering ecology, environmental consultancy and archaeology under a single contract.

Number of employees

Over 150.

Services Offered

Thomson offers services across several environmental disciplines:

Ecology Surveys

The company carries out a range of ecological surveys and assessments, including:

• Preliminary Ecological Appraisals
• Ecological Impact Assessments
• Habitats Regulations Assessments
• Biodiversity Net Gain assessments
• BREEAM assessments
• Ecological mitigation
• Ecological Clerk of Works
• Laboratory analysis

Protected Species Surveys

Thomson surveys a wide range of protected species, including:

• Bats
• Birds
• Great crested newts
• Hazel dormouse
• Badgers
• Otters and water voles
• Reptiles
• Invertebrates
• White-clawed crayfish
• Pine martens and red squirrels

Habitat Management

Practical habitat services include vegetation clearance, habitat creation and restoration, invasive species management, tree planting, fencing and trapping.

Consultancy Services

Marine Ecology

The company has a marine ecology team offering marine and estuarine surveys, marine consulting, macrobenthic sample and particle size analysis, marine video and seabed imagery analysis.

Water Consultancy

Water-related services cover freshwater surveys and monitoring, freshwater impact assessments, water quality monitoring, hydrology and hydrogeology, catchment management and surface water drainage.

GIS and Mapping

Thomson has an in-house GIS team providing habitat mapping, spatial analysis, data visualisation, UAV surveys and ecological data capture.

Arboriculture

Arboricultural services include tree management consultancy, trees and development advice and guidance on trees and the law.

Climate Change and Sustainability

The company provides EU Taxonomy and biodiversity assessments and broader sustainability consultancy.

Sectors and Clients

Thomson works across the following sectors:

• Government and local authorities
• Tier 1 contractors
• Rail infrastructure
• Commercial and residential development
• Global multi-disciplinary consultancies
• Renewable energy
• Utilities
• Marine infrastructure, ports and harbours
• Highways infrastructure

The Role of an Ecology Consultancy

With growing demands on land and increasing awareness of the biodiversity crisis, ecology consultancies have become an essential part of responsible development and land management in the UK.

At their core, ecology consultancies offer expert scientific guidance on the natural environment. They work with a broad range of clients including developers, housebuilders, infrastructure providers, local authorities and landowners, advising anyone whose activities have the potential to affect wildlife and habitats.

Much of this work begins with ecological surveys. UK law requires that before many development projects can gain planning permission, the likely effects on protected species and habitats must be thoroughly evaluated.

This means ecologists regularly survey for species including bats, great crested newts, badgers, water voles and nesting birds, while also assessing the ecological value of habitats such as hedgerows, wetlands, trees and ancient woodland.

Satisfy planning requirements

The results of these surveys underpin ecological reports and impact assessments that are submitted as part of the planning process. Consultancies use this evidence to recommend ways of avoiding or reducing harm to wildlife and to help clients develop proposals that satisfy the requirements of planning authorities and bodies such as Natural England.

Biodiversity Net Gain has added a further dimension to this work. Introduced through the Environment Act 2021, this requirement means that new developments in England must leave biodiversity in a measurably better state than before. As a result, ecology consultancies are increasingly involved in designing and monitoring new habitats as part of long-term environmental commitments.

Outside of planning, consultancies also contribute to land management strategies, large-scale ecological restoration, environmental impact assessments for infrastructure projects and the development of conservation management plans.

Ultimately, ecology consultancies serve as a crucial link between the demands of modern development and the need to protect and enhance the natural world.