Collington Winter Environmental
About our Biodiversity Net Gain consultancy
Chartered ecologists and landscape architects helping developers, landowners and homeowners throughout England meet Biodiversity Net Gain without their scheme grinding to a halt.
Who we are
Collington Winter Environmental was founded with a belief in a pragmatic approach to development. Meeting the needs of developers, whilst ensuring positive outcomes for wildlife.
We provide ecology and landscape architecture services for a holistic and innovative approach to development. We are fast paced problem solvers, working with clients to find solutions where others can't.
That means we are interested in what is actually buildable. A Biodiversity Net Gain proposal that cannot be created, funded or maintained is worthless at planning, so we test every recommendation against the site, the programme and the budget before it reaches your design team.
Our experience
A Landscape Architecture and Ecology consultancy with a depth of experience in the creation, restoration, management and conservation of landscape and habitat — from small urban parks, private gardens and new country houses to agricultural, commercial and equestrian landscapes and historic country estates.
Our work is rooted in a thorough understanding of the importance and uniqueness of place. We work closely with our clients to create innovative, sustainable and inspirational landscapes.
Because we have delivered habitat schemes at that range of scales, we can judge quickly how much effort a Biodiversity Net Gain obligation genuinely needs. Small residential schemes do not need the same apparatus as a large commercial development, and we tell clients so.
What we stand for
Pragmatic, not obstructive
We were founded on a belief in a pragmatic approach to development: meeting the needs of developers whilst ensuring positive outcomes for wildlife. Our job is to find the route to a consent that also leaves habitat in better condition than before.
One team, ecology and landscape
We provide ecology and landscape architecture services together, so habitat creation is deliverable on the ground and not just on paper. That holistic view is what makes our Biodiversity Net Gain advice hold up at planning.
Chartered, licensed experience
Our Managing Director is a Chartered Environmentalist with the Institute of Environmental Sciences and holds Natural England bat, great crested newt and badger mitigation licences. The work is signed off by people who have done it hundreds of times.
The Biodiversity Net Gain work we do
Every project is different, but the work usually falls into one of these areas. You can buy any of them on their own, or have us carry the scheme from first survey to final monitoring.
Biodiversity Net Gain Guidance
Read moreBiodiversity Net Gain Assessments
Read moreBiodiversity Net Gain Mitigation
Read moreHabitat banking and Biodiversity Units
For landowners: how a habitat bank is created and run. For developers: how to source and purchase the units a scheme needs when on-site delivery is not possible.
Read moreHow a project runs with us
From the initial land purchase agreements through to monitoring assessments, this is the route we normally follow.
- 01
Initial discussion
A free, informal conversation about your site, the stage your project is at and what Biodiversity Net Gain is likely to mean for it. No obligation and no jargon.
- 02
Desktop and phase 1 assessment
We review statutory designations, local nature recovery data and habitat maps to establish the baseline and flag protected species before anyone sets foot on site.
- 03
Field survey
Licensed ecologists survey in the correct season, recording habitat condition and the species present, so the metric inputs are defensible rather than assumed.
- 04
Statutory metric calculation
We run the DEFRA Statutory Biodiversity Metric to produce the baseline, the post-development loss and the number of Biodiversity Units your scheme needs.
- 05
Biodiversity Gain Plan
We draft the plan in the format your local planning authority expects, on the statutory register, with the habitat enhancements, rules and 30-year management in place.
- 06
Delivery and monitoring
We stay with the scheme through habitat creation and the monitoring assessments that prove the gain has actually been achieved, from purchase agreements to sign-off.
Our Managing Director
Olivia Collington, CEnv
Olivia is a Chartered Environmentalist with the Institute of Environmental Sciences and holds Natural England Bat and Great Crested Newt licences, as well as Natural England GCN Mitigation and Badger Mitigation Licences. She has worked with protected species across the UK, undertaking field surveys and writing scientific, accessible reports for submission at planning.
She previously founded and grew the ecology division at a leading Manchester firm, and before that led the nationwide ecology team at another large environmental consultancy based in Manchester. She holds key experience in Biodiversity Net Gain assessments using the DEFRA Statutory Metric, and enjoys working with landowners and clients to create maximum biodiversity on site.
Read Olivia's full profileWhat our clients say
5.0 on Google Reviews
“We have used Collington Winter many times as they provide us with the quick, high-quality service we need. Rhiannon and the team are a delight to work with.”
“I had a great experience with Collington Winter Environmental. The team are friendly and always go above and beyond.”
“Prompt, polite, communicative and very clear in their report both onsite and after. I was really impressed with their honesty and integrity.”
Where we work
We take on projects throughout England from our office in Bolton. These are the areas people ask about most, and each page explains the local councils, nature recovery priorities and habitat conditions we work with there.
Registered office
23 Bark Street East, 1st Floor, Bolton, BL1 2BQ
Coverage
Projects throughout England, with surveys, habitat bank visits and planning meetings on site.
Qualifications
Chartered Environmentalist (CEnv) with the Institute of Environmental Sciences, plus Natural England survey and mitigation licences.
Frequently asked questions
+Who is in charge of Biodiversity Net Gain work at Collington Winter?
Our Managing Director, Olivia Collington, leads the ecology side of the business. She is a Chartered Environmentalist with the Institute of Environmental Sciences, holds Natural England Bat and Great Crested Newt licences as well as Natural England GCN Mitigation and Badger Mitigation licences, and has key experience of Biodiversity Net Gain assessments using the DEFRA Statutory Metric.
+Where are you based and where do you work?
Our registered office is at 23 Bark Street East, 1st Floor, Bolton, BL1 2BQ. We work on projects throughout England, and we regularly travel for surveys, habitat bank visits and planning meetings well beyond the North West.
+Do you only do Ecology, or also Landscape Architecture?
Both. We are an ecology and landscape architecture consultancy, which means the same team can assess the habitat on site and then design the habitat creation, restoration or management that delivers the gain. For most developers that removes a handover between two separate firms.
+Can you help if my site cannot deliver the gain itself?
Yes. Where on-site habitat creation is not possible or not enough, we advise on offsetting by purchasing Biodiversity Units from a habitat bank, and we can explain the trade-offs between on-site delivery, a habitat bank purchase and, as a last resort, the statutory alternative contribution.
+Do you work with landowners and farmers as well as developers?
We do. A large part of our work is with landowners, farmers and estates who want to understand what their land could deliver in Biodiversity Units, how a habitat bank is created and what the long-term management obligations look like before they commit.
+How do I get started with you?
Call us on 01204 939 608 or send an enquiry through the form on this page. We will ask for the site location and the stage your project has reached, then tell you honestly whether Biodiversity Net Gain applies to your scheme and what the next step is.
Speak to us about a site, a planning application or a habitat bank. Call 01204 939 608 or email info@collingtonwinter.co.uk.