28 March 2007

The way this Directive will be applied has recently been going through consultation in the UK. A summary of the consultation brief and more can be found at Defra's web page on the topic..

It seems, for example, that any developer retaining land ownership, such as wildlife green space, could well be even more exposed to potential liabilities and obligations under the Directive if there is damage to biodiversity, EU protected habitats or species (such as bats, dormice, great crested newts, many birds) than they are now under current regulations.

That would be another argument for making sure that secure arrangements are made for skilled monitoring and aftercare to minimise exposure to claims and ligation, especially for absentee owners who cannot easily monitor or control what happens on their land. At Betts Ecology we have services and solutions though our Estates Division.