The Hazel dormouse is protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, meaning they cannot be intentionally killed, injured or disturbed in their nests, collected, trapped or sold. This protection is due to a dramatic decrease in population size and distribution.
It is a consideration of the Local Planning Authority (LPA) during the planning process that appropriate measures have been undertaken to consider the impacts on dormice when determining an application.
The survey aims to establish the presence or likely absence of dormice on the site, the population size and how dormice may be using the site. This information can allow us to determine the appropriate mitigation for the site.
If you, your architect, planning agent or the LPA consider there is a likelihood of dormice being present or there is suitable habitat then a survey must be carried out.
You can contact us for further advice.
This method is a quicker way of determining the likely presence of dormice and will be undertaken between September to December.
It involves searching for opened hazelnuts with the characteristic markings left by the dormice.
This method will usually suffice if only a small area of habitat is being removed.
Nest tubes or boxes should be installed in April/May and then should be checked at least once every two months across the whole season (April to November).
These artificial habitats provide somewhere for dormice to build nests which are distinctive in design.
If the development will impact a larger area of suitable habitat then the survey effort is based upon a thoroughness score.
This is dependent on the number of tubes and how long they are deployed, with a score of at least 20 being required to determine the presence or likely absence.
Once the appropriate survey effort has been completed for your project, a report must be written up 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 dormice are present then a mitigation plan will have to be created, ideally, any suitable habitat should be retained if possible. If not, other mitigation measures should be undertaken to persuade the dormice to move on from the impacted area.