Personal Track Safety (PTS) trained ecologist
working on a railway embankment
Mott MacDonald has experienced significant growth of its
capability in undertaking environmental assessments for the
aviation, road, rail and ports.
We help our clients when they are building new infrastructure, and
we help them mitigate the effects and manage the impact of existing
infrastructure on the environment. Transport infrastructure, roads,
rail and airport runways, can have the following impacts on:
- Biodiversity – with the loss of wildlife habitats and
associated species
- Flooding – new roads and
other structures can interrupt natural flows and exacerbate
problems on flood plains
- Water quality – run-off from
roads may include pollutants such as fuel oils and seasonal road
treatments that can pollute nearby watercourses
- Air quality – Carbon dioxide
emissions from transport account for around one quarter of the UK’s
total carbon dioxide emissions, and nitrogen dioxide and
particulates still exceed safe levels in some city centres
Our expertise in these sectors includes:
Railways
Our staff have experience of trackside surveys and we train them in
Personal Track Safety (PTS).
- Environmental appraisals and environmental management plans
following Network Rail procedures and guidelines
- Phase 1 ecological assessments and protected species
surveys
- Environmental impact
assessments
- Ecological watching briefs during ground investigations
- Ecological surveys and assessments which are compliant with the
Guide to Railway Investment Project stages
- Desk top studies
- Phase 1 habitat surveys
- Protected species surveys
- Protected species mitigations including exclusions and
translocation of species
- Licence applications
Recent projects include:
- LNW Tunnels, Network Rail, environmental appraisals and
environmental management plans for proposed tunnel remediation
works in Wales.
- Charing Embankment, UK, protected species surveys and licence
application for embankment remediation works
- Cornish Mines, Network Rail, UK, protected species surveys in
railway shafts.
- Croydon Tramlink, Transport for London, UK, environmental
impact assessment for proposed extension to an existing tram
scheme.
Roads
Mott MacDonald has experience and skills in working in all stages
of highway projects as described by the Design Manual for Roads and
Bridges, from identification of constraints and mapping, to desk
and field studies, through to assessment of impacts.
- Desk top studies and assessments
- Phase 1 Habitat surveys to assess habitat and species
present
- Protected species surveys
- Botanical and national vegetation classification surveys
- Freshwater invertebrate surveys
- Production of mitigation, compensation and enhancement
plans
- Habitat restoration and creation
- Monitoring programmes
- Mitigation works for noise, air and visual impact
Recent projects include:
- Chickenhall Lane Link Road: Ecology & Nature Conservation
assessments for all DMRB stages
- Norwich Northern Distributor Road: DMRB Stage 3 ecological
surveys and assessments, including barn owl and over-wintering bird
surveys
- Stoner Hill land slip: Protected species surveys for emergency
works within a European designated site
Air
- Due diligence reviews
- Environmental impact assessments
- Environmental assessment and production of environmental
statements
- Contaminated land and groundwater remediation
- Habitat and protected species surveys
- Mitigation works for noise, air and visual impact
- Carbon offsetting
Recent projects include:
- Due diligence review, Izmir airport, Turkey, advice the lender
on risks associated with building a new international terminal
- Environmental review, Ankara, Turkey, factors influencing the
development of the airport
- Environmental statement review, Coventry airport, UK, reviewing
a planning application environmental statement for the expansion of
this airport
- Groundwater remediation options, Heathrow airport, London, UK,
reviewing options for the clean-up of a site near the airport
polluted with chlorinated hydrocarbons
- Environmental impact assessment, Bourgas airport, Bulgaria, EU
commissioned feasibility study and master plan of the airport
including environmental impact
Ports and harbours
- Remediation work for pollution incidents
- Environmental assessments for marine ports (deep and shallow
waters)
- Coastal flood and landscape modelling
- Environmental assessments and statements for planning
enquiries
- Environmental management systems
- Habitat and species surveys
- Hydrological surveys
Recent projects include:
- Environmental assessment, Chichester harbour, UK, assessment of
impact of a wastewater treatment works on a saline lagoon system,
and the impact on four bird species
- Hydrological surveys, Avalon Borough, New Jersey, USA, surveys
for a multi-phase dredging programme of the borough’s harbours
- Discharge assessment, Pagham harbour Ramsar site, UK, assessing
the impacts of discharges from a water treatment works on the
site
- Feasibility study, deep water port, Falkland Islands,
suitability of different locations for development of a port
- Environmental impact assessment, Burry Port, Wales, assessment
for proposed harbour improvements
Rail [226KB]
