BS 42020:2013 Biodiversity – Code of practice for planning and development

At Western Ecology we take great pride in our professional status and to show the world how serious we are we have adopted BS 42020:2013 Biodiversity – Code of practice for planning and development.

This British Standard is published by BSI Standards LTD under licence from the British Standards Institute and seeks to promote transparency and consistency in the quality and appropriateness of ecological information submitted with planning applications and applications for other regulatory approvals.

But what does this mean for you, our clients?

1. BS 42020:2013 means that your ecological information will be prepared and presented in a way that is fit to inform the decision making process of the local planning authority.
2. BS 42020:2013 means that the evidence we use to underpin our ecological advice and reports is robust and obtained using reproducible scientific methods that allow the reliability of the data to be verified.
3. BS 42020:2013 means that where possible we will recommend mitigation to avoid significant impacts in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance. This will be based on the hierarchy of mitigation which is avoidance, mitigation or compensation.
4. BS 42020:2013 means your surveys will follow good practice guidelines and that reports are produced to the highest standard by Professionally Competent Ecologists acting in accordance with the Professional Code of Conduct of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management.

BS 42020:2013 means that we do things the right way to ensure your planning application has the best possible chance of succeeding.