Ecological Clerk of Works
The requirement for and Environmental (or Ecological) Clerk of Works (ECoW) often appears as a planning condition for development projects. This requirement is to monitor that mitigation measures and environmental management practices outlined in the planning documents / other planning conditions are delivered.
ECoWs require a wide base of knowledge to support the role, including:
- Ecology and protected species
- Water management and pollution control
- Waste and resource management
- Auditing skills and project management
An ECoW may be required during the pre-construction, construction and post-construction phases. The role of the ECoW varies project to project, but as a minimum the ECoW is there to monitor and advise on compliance with planning conditions, environmental legislation and project specific documents .
ECoWs act independently, sitting between the project teams and the regulators, facilitating the best possible outcome for the Client, whilst keeping the project compliant.
Our ECoW Expertise
Atmos has extensive experience of providing ECoW services across a range of sectors and projects within varying scopes including: renewable energy, gas pipeline, overhead power line, residential housing and physical infrastructure (road, rail and grid) developments.
Our approach is to ensure that sensitive environmental site issues are identified early and managed according to good practice guidelines, whilst recognising the need to progress within the required time-scales. We recognise that effective communication is paramount to project success and have a proven track record of effectively liaising with statutory bodies, site contractors and project managers to achieve successful and commercially pragmatic outcomes.
Working in partnership with developers and their contractors, we act in an independent capacity, undertaking compliance monitoring and providing good practice advice and guidance. Our ECoW team all hold up to date CSCS cards and relevant Health and Safety qualifications. As such they are able to provide both supervisory and advisory ECoW roles.
Our ECoW Consultants
Atmos has extensive experience of providing ECoW services across a wide range of sectors including residential & commercial property, renewable energy and infrastructure developments.
We work to protect the interests of our clients throughout all project phases, taking a collaborative approach to environmental issues.
Atmos focus on a pro-active approach allowing potential constraints to be identified early and managed within good practice guidelines, minimizing the risk to project timelines.
We recognize that effective and pro-active communication is key to project success and Atmos have a proven track record of effective liaison with project teams, project managers, third party stakeholders and statutory bodies alike.
Our ECoW Solutions
Our ECoW team is experienced at delivering environmental support to a project throughout the project cycle. Our typical ECoW services include (but are not limited to):
PRE CONSTRUCTION / POST PLANNING PHASE
- Preparation of ECoW Terms of Appointment to satisfy planning conditions.
- Preparation and/or review of project environmental documents such as Construction Environment Plans (CEMP), Waste Management Plans (WMP), Species
- Protection Plans (SPP), Pollution Prevention Plans (PPP) and Habitat Mangaement Plans (HMP).
- Pre-Construction ecology surveys to update baseline information
- Baseline monitoring and interpretation of peat, noise, hydrology and water quality.
CONSTRUCTION PHASE
- Preparation and delivery of project specific tool box talks (TBTs) promoting environmental awareness and best practice amongst construction teams.
- Monitoring and implementation of planning conditions, schedules of mitigation and any conditions set out in the project specific documentation.
- Pre-construction ecology checks.
- Advise on surface water management and mitigation measures.
- Construction phase monitoring e.g. noise, hydrology.
- Stakeholder liaison where appropriate.
- Environmental reporting including an active constraints register.
POST CONSTRUCTION PHASE
- Implementation and monitoring of HMP.
- Advice in relation to reinstatement and restoration.
Download examples of our recent work
Wittets Architects on behalf of QintetiQ
Inverness Flood Alleviation Scheme
Contact us today to find out how we can successfully help you de-risk the environmental implications of your project.
