Agriculture
Clear has wide ranging expertise in undertaking ecological surveys on farm sites for a variety of reasons. Pressures on Farming in the UK have resulted in numerous farmers choosing to change the ways in which they use their buildings or land. Clear regularly undertake ecological scoping surveys on agricultural buildings that are proposed for change of use to residential accommodation, office space or holidays lets. These surveys typically comprise of bat and bird building assessments.
Clear has seen an increase in projects relating to polytunnels since a high court judgment in 2006 concluded that large scale polytunnel sites must now receive planning permission. In addition to polytunnel sites, Clear have also provided ecological services to farmers who require irrigation ponds on their land or those who are diversifying into offering fishing ponds. Other project examples include farmers diversifying into motorsport and quad bike facilities where Clear have provided a full range of ecological services up to and including public inquiry stage.
Agricultural development can lead to the requirement for flood risk assessments, drainage impact assessments and sustainable drainage design as part of planning applications for farm buildings, building conversions and polytunnel erection.
Clear provides the technical expertise and detailed understanding of these issues to fully assess the impacts of proposed agricultural and farm developments. Clear has undertaken numerous projects for polytunnel developments with sites up to 136ha under consideration. While polytunnels are often temporary structures, the key requirement is usually the management of surface water runoff from the covered tunnels. We have developed simple, cost-effective drainage solutions that can form part of crop irrigation schemes to reduce the environmental impact of the development.
Clear has undertaken numerous projects for developments such as barn conversions and caravan site developments where flood risk assessments and sustainable drainage solutions have been required. Frequently, Environment Agency flood mapping does not extend to minor watercourses that affect rural sites and it is often necessary to undertake river hydraulic modeling to estimate flood levels and establish the magnitude of fluvial flood risks. Clear provides this expertise in-house and we utilize the most appropriate methodologies and software to provide cost-effective solutions.
Clear has undertaken a number of projects to design surface water management schemes for farm developments, such as barn conversions. In line with current planning policy and Environment Agency guidance, sustainable drainage (SuDS) solutions have been used extensively to provide environmentally sound yet cost-effective drainage solutions.
