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| June
2010 |
Recruitment:
Keystone are currently looking
for a Ecological Contracting
Project Manager. For more
information click
here
|
| April
2010 |
Recruitment:
Keystone are currently looking
for a Senior Ecological Consultant.
For more information click
here
|
| January
2010 |
Freelance
Opportunities:
Keystone are currently looking
for Freelance Bat Surveyors
for potential opportunities
in the 2010 survey season.
For more information click
here
|
| January
2010 |
Freelance
Opportunities:
Keystone are currently looking
for Ecological Sub-Contractors
for potential opportunities
in the 2010 survey season.
For more information click
here
|
| Dec
2009 |
Recruitment:
Keystone are currently looking
for a Senior Ecological Consultant.
For more information click
here
|
| Dec
2009 |
Training:
Keystone in Association with
Penny Simpson are currently
holding half day training
seminars for Consultant Ecologists
on the topic of Environmental
Law. For more information
and a booking form please
click
here
|
| July
2009 |
Recruitment:
Keystone are currently looking
for an Ecological Consultant.
For more information click
here (position
now closed)
|
| May
2009 |
Spring
Newsletter Issue:
Our Spring 2009 newsletter
in now available to download.
click
here
|
| Mar
2009 |
Recruitment:
Keystone are currently looking
for sub contractors throughout
the UK for this years survey
season. For more information
click
here (position
now closed)
|
| Jan
2009 |
Somerset
County Council:
Keystone are proud to anounce
that we have been selected
to enter into a Framework
Contract with Somerset County
Council providing ecological
support for a two year period
commencing with immediate
effect. We are extremely excited
to be working closely with
the council over the next
few years.
|
| Jan
2009 |
Winter
Newsletter Issue:
Our Winter 2008/2009 newsletter
in now available to download.
click
here
|
| Jan
2009 |
Recruitment:
Keystone welcomes
the addition of Mark Tarrant
to the team who will be operating
as a Graduate Ecologist over
the new survey season.
|
| Nov
2008 |
Autumn
Newsletter Issue:
Our Autumn 2008 newsletter
in now available to download.
click
here
|
| Oct
2008 |
InterRoute
Area 4: Keystone Environmental
has entered into a Framework
Agreement with InterRoute
Area 4 to provide ecological
support to their Highways
Team. We are looking forward
to the new challenges this
work will bring during the
next twelve months.
|
| Oct
2008 |
Keystone
Contracting expands its business
operations: In response
to the continued growth and
success of expanding the Contracting
arm of the company Keystone
has created two new specialist
divisions 'Aquatics' and 'Countryside
Management' providing an extended
range of services to all our
clients.
|
| Oct
2008 |
Bridging
the gap: As part of
a programme of Dormouse mitigation
measures at the Furfield Quarry
development site in Kent,
Keystone has designed and
built a bespoke 20m long overhead
dormouse bridge in a measure
to link existing hedgerows
whilst providing connectivity
and avoiding fragmentation
of the habitat.
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| Oct
2008 |
Grant
Rail : Earlier this
year Keystone Environmental,
in a joint venture with Entran,
were appointed Environmental
Advisors to Grant Rail a member
of the Corus Group. Our role
is to address all environmental
issues encountered by Grant
Rail on their nationwide schemes
and to provide advice and
input on tenders for major
projects worth in the region
of £10 million. Together
Keystone and Entran are able
to cover all environmental
disciplines.
|
| Sept
2008 |
All
of Keystone's Consultancy
and Contracting division have
now successfully completed
the CITB health and safety
test examination: Every
Keystone employee undertaking
field based works now holds
the relevant Construction
Skills Certification Scheme
(CSCS) required for working
on construction sites.
|
| Sept
2008 |
Keystone
has just completed a major
newt exclusion fencing scheme
for Wessex Water: Wessex
Water appointed Keystone to
undertake a 4km newt fence
installation in preparation
for a pipeline upgrade scheme
in Gillingham, Dorset.
|
| Aug
2008 |
Keystone
to attend the forthcoming
Civils Exhibition at Earls
Court: Following on
from the success of last year's
exhibition Keystone Contracting
is looking forward to showcasing
its services for clients old
and new.
|
| Jul
2008 |
Recruitment
Opportunity: Keystone
currently has an exciting
vacancy for an Ecological
Contractor to join the Contracting
team. We are seeking a hard
working and enthusiastic individual
preferably from a land management
background looking to further
their career with a dynamic
& progressive company.
(position now closed)
|
| Jul
2008 |
Badger's
move in! : Keystone
was recently commissioned
by Taylor Wimpey to construct
an artificial Badger sett
at Helston in Cornwall. Six
weeks later Badgers begin
to colonise the sett.
|
| July
2008 |
Great
Crested Newt Surveys: This
year Keystone Environmental
has carried out surveys of
four times as many waterbodies
as those surveyed in 2007
and over double those surveyed
in 2007 on one project alone.
Most signficantly, we carried
out Habitat Suitability Assessments
of approximately 150 waterbodies
followed by presence/absence
and population surveys of
these on the proposed alignment
of the M4 New Project in Wales.
We were commissioned 1 week
before the end of the window
of opportunity for timing
50% of the survey in the peak
time period of mid-April to
mid-May and in spite of such
a short timescale for mobilisation,
managed to complete the task
in time.
|
| May
2008 |
New
Recruit for Contracting:
Keystone welcomes the addition
of James Murtagh to the team
who is a fully qualified tree
surgeon and arborist to strengthen
the activities of our contracting
department.
|
| April
2008 |
Team
Expansion : Keystone
are pleased to welcome the
addition of a Consultant Ecologist,
four Graduate Ecologists to
strengthen our team with the
start of the survey season.
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|
Feb 2008
|
New
Bat Survey Guidelines Now
Published: The Bat
Conservation Trust has launched
the long awaited Bat Surveys
- Good Practice Guidelines.
These provide guidance on
how and when to survey for
bats and will function as
an industry standard that
ensures all consultants work
on a level playing field.
It is pleasing to see that
the survey efforts we recommend
closely match those in the
guidelines. Consequently our
clients should see little
or no alteration to the surveys
and associated costs we put
forward.
If you
are working on sites with
buildings and trees that will
be affected in any way by
development/land use change
we would be happy to provide
a brief and fee proposal to
ensure your legal obligations
in respect if bats are met.
Alternatively, if you require
monitoring, research or training
please contact us to discuss
your requirements in greater
detail.
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Feb 2008
|
Licensing
Changes and Additional Protection
to European Protected Species:
Amendments to The Conservation
(Natural Habitats, &c.)
Regulations 1994 were due
to be made in April 2007 but
have now been postponed to
August 2007.
These
amendments clarify the situation
where European Protected Species
are concerned. As a result
of a European Court Judgement
in 2005, which showed that
the UK was not fulfilling
the Habitats Directive due
to defences in Regulation
40 & 43(4), the defense
in Regulation 40 will be removed.
However, the threshold on
the level of disturbance will
be raised, although if a licence
is granted there will be a
new offence of breaching licence
conditions, an important move
as developers, not the ecologist,
will be named on the licence
and the offence carries a
maximum sentence of six months
imprisonment and/or a £5,000
fine.
In addition,
the reasoned statements will
become more rigorous and conditioning
work within planning permissions
will not be permitted.
In summary,
changes to The Conservation
(Natural Habitats, &c.)
Regulations 1994 are as follows:
1) New
offence of non-compliance
with licence
2) Defence
of dwelling houses for bats
roosts and incidental result
of a lawful operation to be
removed
3) Increased
thresholds for disturbance
4) Developers/land
owners to be licence holders
and therefore responsible
for any breach in a licence
5) Method
statements to be divided into
background and mitigation
so that only the mitigation
section needs to be re-submitted
for approval if amendments
to the strategy are required
6) Local
Planning Authorities must
complete EPS consultation
documents to demonstrate that
the three criteria required
to obtain a licence are fulfilled.
Clearly
the alterations are complex
therefore please contact us
if you would like an explanation
of how these changes might
affect your business and how
we can help you meet your
legal obligations whilst avoiding
costly programme delays. Our
extensive licence application
expertise will ensure your
scheme receives approval in
the shortest possible time.
|
| Feb
2008 |
Team
Expansion: Keystone
are pleased to welcome the
addition of another Senior
Consultant Ecologist and an
Ecological Contractor to the
current team. The new addition
to the ecological contracting
team brings expertise in estate
management and arboricultural
management to our experienced
terrestrial and aquatics team..
|
| Aug
2007 |
Team
Expansion: Keystone
are pleased to welcome the
addition of another Consultant
Ecologist and three Graduate
Ecologists to the current
team. This strengthens our
ability to cover larger schemes
and the number of projects
we can deliver overall whilst
simultaneously maintaining
the high standards and rapid
response times for which we
are known. To meet the demands
of the ever expanding ecological
department we have also made
a new addition to the admin
department.
|
| Aug
2007 |
Taking
the Right Lines: Building
on the Link-Up approval Keystone
has held since 2006 all our
field staff are now Personal
Track Safety (PTS) trained
and certified thereby enabling
us to meet the ecological
requirements of our clients
in the rail sector.
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| Aug
2007 |
Successful
Newt Hunting: After
an extremely busy start to
the field season we have now
completed 17 projects surveying
for Great Crested Newts in
60 ponds. This feat, totaling
an incredible 96 survey days/nights
was only achieved by the dedication,
perseverance and hard work
of our field team supported
by our admin department. Of
the sites surveyed 29 ponds
over 13 sites were found to
support Great Crested Newts.
Needless to say the team is
working hard on the preparation
of mitigation strategies which
will form the backbone of
a large number of European
Protected Species disturbance
licenses for the purpose of
development.
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| Aug2007 |
Quarries,
Housing & Wildlife - a
Win, Win, Win Situation: Chinnor
Quarry in Oxfordshire is a
72 hectare former cement works
which Keystone are working
with Taylor Wimpey (formerly
Taylor Woodrow Developments)
on to restore and create a
6 hectare housing development
nestled within a vast expanse
of recreational ground and
wildlife habitat. Keystone
have successfully guided Taylor
Wimpey on land appraisals
and the acquisition process,
and are now working closely
with Oxfordshire County Council,
South Oxfordshire District
Council and Natural England
to devise a restoration strategy
that retains and enhances
wildlife for the enjoyment
of future residents and in
areas with no or restricted
access, for wildlife alone.
Despite
the complexity of issues such
as the presence of great crested
newts, reptiles, barn owls,
bats, wintering birds, breeding
birds, orchids, a geological
SSSI and developing chalk
grassland Keystone have produced
a strategy that addresses
these issues smoothly thereby
ensuring the development and
restoration programme proceeds
on time and within budget.
|
| Jul
2007 |
Rain
Stops Play: Ironically
the heavy rain at the end
of July has resulted in the
postponement of our team canoeing
weekend on the River Wye.
Although many people would
have appreciated a canoe on
the wettest weekend known
to man the canoeing centre
refused to let us near one.
Weather permitting we will
be re-scheduling for August
when we might have some sunshine
for the BBQ and camping expedition
that was meant to follow the
canoeing trip.
|
| Jun
2007 |
Going
Batty : With the Great
Crested Newt season over we
turned our attention to bats.
Many surveys have been completed
but the wet summer has taken
its toll on bats this year
resulting in poor breeding
success and a number of deaths
being recorded in roosts where
this hasn't been experienced
before.
Numerous
projects this year have involved
emergence surveys, followed
by activity transects and
dawn surveys. Despite the
strain of these all night
sessions, relief has been
sought in local all night
kebab shops and supermarkets
who do a mean box of doughnuts.
This combination of sleep
deprivation, coffee and teeth
rotting food has turned out
to be a great recipe for team
building and some good laughs
have been had by all.
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