Ecological Survey Company
Bat, newt, habitat and biodiversity net gain surveys for planning applications, booked with a licensed ecologist in the right season, with a report your council can use.
- From £300for a bat roost assessment, the most common survey on a house
- 10% gainin biodiversity required on most new development in England
- May to Septemberthe only months bat emergence surveys can run
Surveys we arrange
Most planning applications need one or two of these, not all of them. If the council’s letter or validation checklist names a survey, start there. If you are not sure, choose “Not sure yet” on the form and the ecologist will tell you.
Typical prices excluding VAT. Our reading of published UK ecology consultancy price lists and cost guides, November 2026. No official body publishes survey fees.
Who we work with
Ecological surveys used to be a concern for large developers. Now a loft conversion, a barn conversion or a single new house can need one before the council will decide.
Homeowners
Planning a loft conversion, a new roof or an extension that touches the roof space? Bats are the usual reason a council asks for a survey on a house, and the first assessment can be done in a single visit at any time of year.
Self-builders and small developers
A plot with hedges, trees, rough grass or a pond nearby often needs a preliminary ecological appraisal first. Since 6 August 2026 self-build sites over 0.2 hectares are no longer exempt from biodiversity net gain, so the habitat baseline matters more than it did.
Architects and planning agents
You know what the validation checklist asks for; what you need is an ecologist with licences and diary space in the right season. Tell us the survey and the decision date and we will find one who can meet it.
Farmers and landowners
Barn conversions, new agricultural buildings and land sold for development all tend to trigger bat, barn owl and habitat surveys. Older stone and timber buildings with open eaves are classic roost sites.
When each survey can be done
The season is the thing that catches people out. A council cannot accept an emergence survey done in November, so a project that needs one in winter waits until May. Book early: ecologists’ summer diaries fill from April.
| Survey | Can be done | Best time | What it involves |
|---|---|---|---|
| Preliminary ecological appraisal | All year | April to September, when plants can be identified | One visit plus a desk study |
| Bat roost assessment (PRA) | All year | Any month | One daytime visit |
| Bat emergence surveys | May to September | May to August for at least some visits | One to three dusk or dawn visits |
| Great crested newt eDNA | 15 April to 30 June | Mid-April to May | One water sample per pond |
| Great crested newt population | Mid-March to mid-June | Two visits mid-April to mid-May | Four to six visits |
| Reptiles | April to September | April, May and September | About seven checks |
| Badgers | All year | Late winter and spring, when setts are easy to see | One visit, more if a sett is active |
| Biodiversity net gain baseline | All year | April to September | Habitat and condition survey |
From Bat Conservation Trust guidelines (4th edition), Natural England and Natural Resources Wales guidance. The full month-by-month picture is in our survey calendar.
What an ecological survey costs
The price follows the work. A house with one roof and no ponds nearby might need only a bat roost assessment at £300 to £600. A field with hedges and a pond 200 metres away might need an appraisal, a newt water sample and a biodiversity net gain baseline, which together run into the low thousands.
What moves the figure most is the number of visits. A building with moderate bat potential needs two dusk surveys and one with high potential needs three, each with more than one surveyor. Larger sites, difficult access, travel and a records search from the local environmental records centre (£100 to £300) add to it.
Licences for bats, newts and badgers are free from Natural England, but the ecologist’s time to apply for one is not. See every survey’s price range.
From enquiry to report
Tell us about the site
Postcode, what you are planning, and which survey the council named, if any. Two minutes on the form below.
We find an ecologist
One who covers your area, holds the licences your site may need and has dates in the season you need. We tell you who they are, normally within a working day.
They scope and quote
If you agree, they get your details, check the site on maps and records, and send a written fee and the earliest dates the season allows.
Survey and report
A daytime visit for most first surveys, dusk visits for bats. The report sets out what was found and the measures that let your project go ahead, ready to submit with the application.
Questions people ask
What is an ecological survey?
An assessment by a qualified ecologist of the habitats on a site and of any protected species that could be affected by your plans. For most planning applications it starts with a preliminary ecological appraisal or, for work on a roof, a bat roost assessment. The report tells the council what is there, what your project would affect and how harm will be avoided.
Why has the council asked me for one?
Councils have a legal duty to consider protected species before granting permission, and Natural England’s standing advice tells them when to ask for a survey: for bats, where a building, tree or water is involved and records suggest bats could be present (gov.uk); for great crested newts, where there is a pond within 500 metres (gov.uk). Many councils also list the triggers on their validation checklist.
Can I get a survey done in winter?
Some, yes. A preliminary ecological appraisal, a bat roost assessment and a badger survey can all be done in winter. Bat emergence surveys only run from May to September and newt water samples from mid-April to the end of June, so if those are needed the dates are fixed by the season. Our survey calendar sets out every window.
How long does a report stay valid?
Professional guidance from CIEEM treats a report under 12 months old as likely to be valid, 12 to 18 months as likely valid with exceptions, and 18 months to three years as needing an ecologist’s review. After three years expect to resurvey.
Do I need biodiversity net gain for an extension?
No. Householder applications are exempt in England, as are sites of 0.2 hectares or less since 6 August 2026, provided no priority habitat is affected (gov.uk). New homes on larger plots, and most developments, still need the 10% gain.
What does an ecological survey cost?
As a guide, a preliminary ecological appraisal is about £500 to £1,200 plus VAT, a bat roost assessment about £300 to £600, and a full set of bat emergence surveys £800 to £3,000. Our cost guide covers every survey and what pushes the price up.
Where our information comes from
- Bats: advice for making planning decisions (gov.uk, updated 7 April 2025)
- Great crested newts: advice for making planning decisions (gov.uk, updated 7 April 2025)
- Biodiversity net gain: exempt developments (gov.uk, updated 6 August 2026)
- Bat Surveys for Professional Ecologists, 4th edition (Bat Conservation Trust)
- Advice note on the lifespan of ecological reports and surveys (CIEEM, April 2019)
Tell us about the site
Three short steps: where the site is, what you are planning, and how to reach you. About two minutes. If the council named a survey in a letter or validation checklist, choose that one.
Thank you. We have your enquiry.
- We will email or phone, normally within one working day, with the name of an ecologist who covers your area and the surveys you need.
- If you are happy for them to have your details, we pass them on. If not, nothing is shared.
- The ecologist confirms the scope, the season and the fee in writing. We send no marketing.