Background
The A120 is a key route for the local and the UK national economy. It is the primary south–west and north–east route through Essex and Suffolk, connecting Ipswich to London and the M25. Proposed improvements will reduce congestion and improve road safety.
Scope of services
RSK Biocensus partnered with the Stage 3 consultant (Arup) and the Stage 4 consultant (Atkins), in planning and delivering time-critical ecology surveys for this project.
Commissioned with a very short lead time, RSK Biocensus worked closely with the client to plan and successfully deliver surveys on all five route options. These data will be used as part of the design process to inform the final route selection and the future ecological impact assessment.
Our surveys completed to date include
- terrestrial invertebrates
- great crested newt (Habitat Suitability Index (HSI), eDNA and population surveys)
- reptiles
- wintering and breeding birds
- hazel dormice
- badgers
- barn owls
- bat ground level tree assessments, tree climbing surveys and building inspections (external and internal), bat trapping, tagging and radio-tracking, transect, static and tree and building emergences.
This project demonstrated our capacity to work in close collaboration with our clients, and to plan and deliver large volumes of survey work against critical programme timelines.
Impact
We partnered with the project’s Stage 3 and 4 consultants to deliver time critical ecological surveys for this project.