Otter & Water Vole Surveys

Why is a survey required?

Otters and Water Vole are protected species, as is any place they may shelter. Both can be found along water bodies, ditches, marshes and canals.

Otters prefer larger water bodies to forage and can also be found along the coast. They also require suitable terrestrial habitats for breeding holts.

Water voles prefer steep, vegetated banks that provide suitable foraging and burrowing habitats.

It is a consideration of the Local Planning Authority (LPA) that appropriate measures have been undertaken during the planning process to consider the impacts on otter and water voles when determining an application.

The survey aims to establish individuals' presence or likely absence and if they are breeding.

If you, your architect, planning agent or the LPA consider there is a likelihood of otter or water vole being present, then a survey must be conducted.

Feel free to contact us for further advice.

Otter Field Signs

Any suitable waterbodies are checked for field signs of otters along the banks to determine presence/likely absence.

These may include spraints, tracks, feeding remains, slides or holts.

Water Vole Field Signs

Any suitable waterbodies are checked for field signs of water vole to determine presence/likely absence. These checks should be completed twice, once between mid-April to June and again from July to September.

Any key features within 2m of the waterbody are recorded, including bank substrate, marginal vegetation, water depth/width and shading.

Field signs may include footprints, droppings, burrows, feeding signs or pathways.

Otter Holt Surveys

If a potential holt is located, it may need to be monitored using a camera trap to determine if it is currently being used by breeding otters.

What next after the survey is complete?

Once the appropriate survey effort has been completed for your project, a report must be written to support your planning application. The report will detail information about the surveys, background data for the project area, findings from the surveys, what impact the development will have on these findings and recommendations to mitigate these impacts.

If it is found that otter or water vole are present, then a mitigation licence will need to be obtained from Natural England to enable the project to proceed legally.

 FAQs

  • Otters are on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receive full protection under Section 9. This species is also listed under the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended) and as a Species of Principle Importance (SPI) under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (NERC) 2006.

    The water vole is on Schedule 5 of the ‘Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981’ (as amended), and receives full protection under Section 9. This species is also listed as a Species of Principle Importance (SPI) under the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act (NERC) 2006.

    Therefore for both species, it is an offence to:

    - intentionally or deliberately kill or injure any individual of such a species;

    - intentionally or recklessly disturb such a species whilst using any place of shelter or protection; or

    - intentionally or recklessly damage, destroy or obstruct access to any place or structure used by such species for shelter, rest, protection or breeding.

  • The cost will vary with factors such as location, project size and complexity and the number of surveys/surveyors required all playing their part in the total cost.

    Please contact us and we will be able to provide further advice and a quote.

  • Otter surveys can be undertaken all year round as otters are always active. However, May to September is the optimum period due to water levels fluctuating less.

    Water vole surveys should be undertaken from mid-April to June and with a second survey from July to September, as this covers the most active period for water vole.