| Number of credits available | Minimum standards |
|---|---|
| 2 | No |
To encourage development on land that already has limited value to wildlife and to protect existing ecological features from substantial damage during site preparation and completion of construction works.
This issue is split into two parts:
The following is required to demonstrate compliance:
OR
If the answer to all questions in the checklist is ‘no’, the land can be defined as having a low ecological value and the credit awarded. Should any of the questions be answered ‘yes’, the credit can only be awarded on confirmation from a Suitably Qualified Ecologist that the site is of low ecological value.
The checklist should be completed by either the BREEAM assessor, using appropriate evidence submitted by the design team or completed by the design team and submitted to the assessor along with appropriate supporting evidence. The answers to the checklist must be based on an evaluation of the site prior to any site clearance or construction activities (refer to LE 02 Ecological value of site and protection of ecological features for further details).
Table 55 BREEAM checklist for defining land of low ecological value
| ID | Question | Yes | No |
|---|---|---|---|
| Q1 | Has the Planning Authority required that an ecological survey or statement be prepared? | ❑ | ❑ |
| Q2 |
Is the development within 2km of a Special Area of Conservation (SAC), Special Protection Area (SPA) or Ramsar site?
|
❑ | ❑ |
| Q3 |
Is the development within 500m of a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)
|
❑ | ❑ |
| Q4 |
Are any of the following habitats present on, or within 100m of the assessment zone?
|
❑ | ❑ |
| Q5 |
Are any of the following features present within the assessment zone?
|
❑ | ❑ |
|
Notes: * The Countryside Survey defines woodland as ‘having over 25% canopy cover of trees and shrubs, over a metre high’. Broad-leaved woodland should be taken to mean broad-leaved, mixed and Yew woodland. |
|||
| Ref |
Terms |
Description |
|---|---|---|
| Shell and core | ||
|
CN1 |
Applicable assessment criteria |
Both options: All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. Refer to Appendix D – BREEAM UK New Construction and Shell and Core Project Assessments for a more detailed description of the above shell and core assessment options. |
| Simple buildings | ||
|
CN2 |
Applicable assessment criteria | All criteria relevant to the building type and function apply. |
| General | ||
|
CN3 |
No features of ecological value See criterion 2. |
Where there are no features of ecological value, the credit for the protection of ecological features can only be awarded if the assessment zone is defined as ‘land of low ecological value’. |
|
CN3.1 |
Use of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist See criterion 1. |
Where a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE) is employed and has, using their professional judgement, defined the site as land of low ecological value, this assessment/judgement overrides any assessment determined using the BREEAM checklist for defining land of low ecological value. The Suitably Qualified Ecologist must base their findings on data collected from a site visit conducted at appropriate time(s) of the year, when different plant and animal species are evident. The content of the Ecology Report is to be representative of the existing site’s ecology prior to the commencement of initial site preparation works (i.e. before RIBA Stage 5 Construction). Where the ecologist has not visited the site at the appropriate times the credit cannot be awarded (except in the circumstances indicated below in the Compliance note 'Site clearance prior to purchase of the site'). See Additional information for the BREEAM definition of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist (SQE). |
|
CN3.2 |
Features of little or no ecological value See criterion 2. |
If a Suitably Qualified Ecologist has confirmed that a feature present on the site has little or no ecological value (see Relevant Definitions), or where a tree is deemed to create a significant danger to the public or occupants by a statutory body or qualified arboriculturalist, then that feature may be exempt from the 'protection of ecological features' requirement of this issue. |
|
CN3.3 |
Prior removal of features of ecological value | If features of ecological value have been removed as part of the site clearance activities then the development cannot achieve the credits, even if they are to be replaced as part of a new soft landscape strategy. |
|
CN3.4 |
Site clearance prior to purchase of the site See criterion 1. |
For sites cleared prior to purchase of the site and less than five years before assessment, a Suitably Qualified Ecologist should estimate the site’s ecological value immediately prior to clearance using available desktop information (including aerial photography) and the landscape type/area surrounding the site. Where it is not possible for the ecologists to determine that the site was of low ecological value prior to the site clearance then the credits must be withheld, i.e. where there is no evidence and therefore justification for awarding the credits. For sites cleared more than five years ago, the ecological value of the site is to be based on the current situation on the basis that within five years, ecological features would have started to re-establish themselves and therefore act as an indicator of the site’s ecological value. |
|
CN3.5 |
Verification of a report written by an ecologist not meeting the BREEAM SQE criteria See criterion 1b. |
Where a Suitably Qualified Ecologist is verifying an Ecology Report produced by another ecologist who does not meet the SQE criteria, they must, as a minimum, review the report and confirm in writing that they have found it to:
|
None.
| Criteria | Interim design stage |
Final post construction stage
|
|---|---|---|
| All |
One or more of the appropriate evidence types listed in The BREEAM evidential requirements section can be used to demonstrate compliance with these criteria. |
|
| 1 |
Where a Suitably Qualified Ecologist is not employed: BREEAM checklist for defining land of low ecological value. |
As per interim design stage. |
Very often there is the potential for a site to increase its biodiversity value through appropriate design and management, regardless of whether enhancing biodiversity is required to gain planning consent. This BREEAM assessment issue provides the opportunity to reward those projects that contribute to protecting and enhancing biodiversity, improve living environments and meet environmental objectives.
While not mandatory, BREEAM recommends that a Suitably Qualified Ecologist is appointed to ensure that a project maximises biodiversity gains. Although a large number of developments are not required to undertake formal ecological assessments as part of the planning process because of the nature of the existing site, they may have potential to be of biodiversity value. Verification of this is best achieved by the appointment of a Suitably Qualified Ecologist.
The Suitably Qualified Ecologist’s recommendations may impact on specifications worked-up by other design team members, such as landscape architects or drainage engineers. BREEAM recommends that collaborative input between the ecologist and relevant professionals is sought from the concept stage of the development to highlight opportunities and constraints and allow effective integration of these aspects into the ecologist’s recommendations.
Organisations and institutes, including the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM) and the Association of Wildlife Trust Consultancies (AWTC), provide lists of ecologists working within a particular region that may meet the SQE requirements.
Guidance on relating ecology reports to BREEAM is provided in Guidance Note GN13.
BREEAM UK New Construction non-domestic buildings technical manual 2014
Reference: SD5076 – Issue: 5.0
Date: 23/08/2016
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