Recruitment: Keystone are currently looking for a Ecological Contracting Project Manager. For more information click here

Recruitment: Keystone are currently looking for a Senior Ecological Consultant. For more information click here

Freelance Opportunities: Keystone are currently looking for Freelance Bat Surveyors for potential opportunities in the 2010 survey season. For more information click here

Freelance Opportunities: Keystone are currently looking for Ecological Sub-Contractors for potential opportunities in the 2010 survey season. For more information click here

Recruitment: Keystone are currently looking for a Senior Ecological Consultant. For more information click here

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

Recruitment: Keystone are currently looking for an Ecological Consultant. For more information click here (position now closed)

Spring Newsletter Issue: Our Spring 2009 newsletter in now available to download. click here

Recruitment: Keystone are currently looking for sub contractors throughout the UK for this years survey season. For more information click here (position now closed)

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.

Winter Newsletter Issue: Our Winter 2008/2009 newsletter in now available to download. click here

Recruitment: Keystone welcomes the addition of Mark Tarrant to the team who will be operating as a Graduate Ecologist over the new survey season.

Autumn Newsletter Issue: Our Autumn 2008 newsletter in now available to download. click here

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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)

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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..

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.