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How Ecology Can Delay Construction Projects – And How to Avoid It
Projects across the UK continue to face delays because of protected species such as bats, great crested newts, otters and others. But these delays are rarely down to legislation itself. The real cause is poor planning.
The laws protecting wildlife have been in place for years. They are not new. The risk is predictable — and manageable. The challenge lies in failing to complete the right surveys at the right time with great surveyors.
🦇 Step One: Preliminary Ecology Assessment (PEA)
The first step is always a Preliminary Ecology Assessment (PEA).
A PEA is the foundation of good ecological planning. It identifies whether there are ecological risks on site and highlights if specialist surveys are needed — such as for bats, newts, reptiles, or otters.
In many cases there may be no ecological constraints or if there are they will be minor and can be dealt with by minor recommendations. For example, it might recommend adjusting lighting to protect bats or scheduling works outside of bird nesting season. But this only works if the assessment is carried out early. Commissioned too late, the PEA can highlight additional ecology works which could severely impact your programme.
Early PEAs allow risks to be flagged and managed before they disrupt the wider program.
📆 Step Two: Awareness of Ecology Survey Seasons
The second step is understanding that ecological surveys are seasonal.
Species can only be surveyed at certain times of the year due to hibernation, breeding, or migration cycles. For example:
Bats: activity surveys are carried out in warmer months, not winter.
Great crested newts: surveys align with the spring breeding season.
Birds: nesting surveys are limited to spring and early summer.
Miss these survey windows, and it may be six months or more before another opportunity arises. This is one of the most common reasons projects are delayed.
To avoid this, project managers should align survey windows with programme milestones. Something as simple as printing an ecology survey calendar — or embedding one into project software — can prevent months of avoidable disruption. This is why a PEA should be done at the earliest opportunity to identify the species present and plan for them within the project programme.
Below showcases examples of some wildlife ecology surveys and the time they should be conducted. A full ecology survey calendar can be downloaded where you can view the ideal times to conduct your next ecology surveys.
Note: The calendar highlights optimal times, which are best for surveys, and Sub-optimal times, when surveys are possible but depend on site conditions.
🏗️ Step Three: Integration Into the Project Programme
The third step is making ecology part of the project programme, not an afterthought.
Too often, surveys are only commissioned in response to planning submission requirements. At that stage, it’s too late. Ecology must be treated as a critical path activity from the outset.
This means:
Commission a PEA at the outset
Scheduling any follow on surveys within the survey seasons
Ensuring ecological reports are completed in time to allow the design team to prepare their planning submission.
When ecology is integrated properly, it becomes a managed process rather than a last-minute obstacle. Projects stay on schedule, avoid unnecessary costs, and reduce the risk of legal non-compliance.
🌱 Why It Still Goes Wrong
Despite the systemic process above, around 70% of projects still mishandle ecology surveys. Why? A few patterns emerge again and again:
Ecology is seen as red tape. Too often, it’s dismissed as a “box-ticking exercise” rather than recognised as a critical risk to programme delivery. This mindset leads to ecology being pushed to the back of the queue.
Survey timing is misunderstood. Project managers sometimes assume surveys can be carried out year-round. When they discover seasonal restrictions, it’s already too late.
Reactive rather than proactive planning. Ecology is only addressed once planning officers flag it, at which point projects are already behind schedule.
Budget misconceptions. Teams can overestimate the cost of surveys and underplay the cost of delays. In reality, surveys are often far cheaper than programme overruns.
The result is predictable: lost time, rising costs, and a sense of frustration across the team. In many cases, reputational damage also follows — local communities and stakeholders notice when projects stall, and trust can be harder to rebuild than timelines.
Ultimately, most delays blamed on wildlife are really the result of bad project planning.
🚧 The Bigger Picture – Policy, Practice and Support
The recently proposed blanket nature levy in the Infrastructure Bill Part III would allow developers to pay a tax to clear sites. While this may simplify administration, it risks harming habitats and creating unnecessary costs. A one-size-fits-all solution ignores the reality that many sites have no ecological constraints at all — and that early, proportionate surveys are often cheaper than the levy itself.
The better route forward is clear:
Encourage early ecological surveys.
Maintain targeted, proportionate legislation that protects habitats without penalising responsible developers.
Focus on education and planning so ecology becomes part of the programme, not a disruption to it.
This is where practical support matters. At RenKap, we take care of ecology for you. Our platform sources multiple quotes from vetted ecology surveyors, schedules surveys at the right time, and aligns ecology requirements with project programmes. Handled this way, ecology isn’t a roadblock. It’s just another managed element of risk — one that can protect biodiversity, save costs, and keep programmes on track.
Wildlife doesn’t delay projects. Poor planning does.