Badger Surveys in Manchester
Badger surveys across Manchester and Greater Manchester
Badgers and their setts are protected by the Protection of Badgers Act 1992. If you’re developing land or changing how it’s used anywhere in Manchester, the council may need to know whether badgers use your site before it can decide your planning application.
We’re a Manchester-based ecology consultancy, so we can usually get to sites across Greater Manchester quickly, and come back for repeat visits without adding travel costs to your quote.
Badgers in Manchester
Badgers aren’t just a countryside animal. Across Greater Manchester they live on the edges of towns, along railway embankments, in wooded cloughs and river valleys, on golf courses and in parks, and sometimes in large gardens and allotments. Sites that look unlikely at first glance can still have an active sett or be part of a badger territory.
That’s why a badger survey is often recommended in a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal, especially on greenfield and edge-of-town sites, or where scrub, woodland or banks are being cleared.
What a badger survey involves
Field sign survey
We walk the site and up to 30m beyond it, looking for setts, latrines, tracks, snuffle holes and paths.
Sett activity checks and monitoring
If we find a sett, we record whether it’s in use, what type it is (main, annex, subsidiary or outlier) and how heavily it’s used. This can involve trail cameras or repeat visits.
Bait marking
On larger sites, we can map badger territories to help shape the site layout and mitigation.
When can badger surveys be done?
Badger surveys can be done at any time of year, but late winter to early spring and autumn are usually best, when vegetation is low and signs are easier to see.
Where we work
We carry out badger surveys across Manchester and the rest of Greater Manchester, including Salford, Trafford, Stockport, Tameside, Oldham, Rochdale, Bury, Bolton and Wigan, as well as the wider North West. We also work across most of the UK. See our main badger surveys page for more about our service.
Frequently asked questions
What happens if there is a sett on my site?
We’ll advise on how to design and time the works to avoid disturbing it. If works can’t avoid a sett, a licence from Natural England may be needed, and we can help with the application.
Do I need a badger survey for my planning application in Manchester?
If your site has woodland, scrub, hedgerows, grassland or banks on or next to it, or a previous survey found signs of badgers, the council may ask for one. A Preliminary Ecological Appraisal will tell you whether a badger survey is needed.
Will the location of the sett be made public?
Sett locations are sensitive, because badgers can be targeted by persecution. Details that would show where a sett is are usually kept in a confidential appendix rather than in the public planning report.
Get a quote
Send us the site address and a short description of what’s planned, and we’ll come back to you with a quote.
Fish Surveys and Fish Rescue
Safely capture and relocate fish before work to protect aquatic life and habitats.
Protected Species Surveys
Find out whether protected wildlife uses your site before works start.
Biodiversity Net Gain
Quantify habitat losses and gains to secure an uplift in biodiversity.
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal
Usually the first ecological survey for a development site.
Ecologists in Manchester
All our ecology surveys across Greater Manchester and the North West.
Bat Surveys in Manchester
Roost assessments and emergence surveys by licensed bat ecologists.