Landscape & Ecology

Our services & fees

We provide advice to the public on a number of issues, and offer a comprehensive, integrated landscape design and ecological consultancy and advisory service for our clients within the Council, for which a competitive fee will be charged.

Our services available to the public and Council colleagues

• Planning advice on landscape and ecology matters; from pre-application through to the discharge of planning conditions.
• Conservation and management advice.
• Information on conservation volunteers and local nature reserves.

Services, in addition to those above, available only to Council departments and our partners

• Landscape design and implementation.
• Project management, contract administration and site inspections.
• Master planning and development briefs.
• Public consultation and community collaboration.
• Environmental assessment.
• Landscape feasibility studies.
• Landscape character assessments.
• Habitat management plans.
• Preparing and submitting bids to funding bodies.
• Managing grants for landscape and biodiversity projects.
• Expert witness in planning enquiries. 
• Section 106 agreements and commuted sums.
• CDM co-ordinator.
• Ecological site surveys – Phase 1, Phase 2 and protected species surveys.
• BREEAM ecological advice.
• Advice and developing projects for schools about enriching ecological value of their school grounds.
• Working with conservation volunteer groups.
• Events.

We use the latest AutoCAD and Keyscape products to produce plans which can be shared between disciplines Council projects. NBS (National Building Specification) Landscape ensures full and current specification is prepared for each scheme and to current best practice. Adobe desktop publishing software enables us to produce high quality reports, feasibility studies, management plans, leaflets and interpretation boards.

Fees

A competitive fee is normally charged for our in-house services and this will vary depending on the nature of the project. Clients are encouraged to contact a member of the team to discuss the scope of the project, what services they require and likely costs. Fees are based either on a lump sum, a time basis or calculated as a percentage of the project implementation value. Accounts will normally be rendered quarterly, or upon stage completion.

Contact details

Mike Eastwood, Principal Landscape Architect
Tel: 0121 704 6391
Email: meastwood@solihull.gov.uk