Our Services

We offer a full EIA service, working with the regulators to achieve the best possible outcomes for your development and the environment, on time and within budget. Our team has worked on EIAs for a range of renewable energy sites, housing developments and infrastructure projects across Scotland and the wider UK.

Babbity is at the forefront of developing innovative methods for SEA which not only ticks boxes but delivers tangible benefits to policy and planning officers. As a result, Babbity were invited to deliver training courses to the World Bank SEA team at their HQ in Washington DC. Our team have produced SEAs for a range of local authorities, Transport Scotland and the Cairngorms National Park Authority.

Babbity is recognised as a Scottish leader in the development of blue-green infrastructure, an approach that uses the natural landscape to provide surface water management for small to large scale developments. To date, we have developed blue-green masterplans for urban industrial estates, urban redevelopment and large scale greenfield sites. Our clients include Clyde Gateway, Persimmon homes, Will Rudd Davidson and Royal London Asset Management.

Drainage and Flood Risk Assessments (FRAs) are increasingly being demanded by planning authorities and Scottish Water as part of the application process. We can provide a full range of specialist hydrological services including flood risk assessment, mitigation and management planning; flood response and evacuation planning; hydrological water quality assessments; 1D and 2D river and coastal modelling and mapping; drainage Impact assessment and sustainable drainage scheme (SuDS) design.

Effective ecological assessment and management is essential for almost all land based and many maritime projects. We offer the full range of ecological services including: phase 1 and extended phase 1 habitat surveys; ecological site assessment; appropriate assessment and mitigation; ecological management plans; and all other ecological specialist surveys.

Archaeological evaluation is a phase of initial field testing that provides information on the nature, extent and significance of archaeological remains present on a site. Archaeological evaluations are required either in support of planning applications or to fulfil planning conditions, to ascertain the scope of any further archaeological work that might be required in response to development.

Contaminated land can impact any brownfield or derelict site development plans. Babbity is highly experienced in all aspects of geological and contaminated land analysis including: environmental risk analysis; ground investigations on a variety of ‘Greenfield’ and ‘Brownfield’ sites; earthworks, design, supervision and validation; slope stability assessment; foundation design; landfill gas monitoring and assessment; remediation design and validation; and groundwater monitoring & assessment.

Environmental noise and air quality assessments apply to all developments where there is the potential for impacts to arise on others from your project or if there may be existing environmental sources that are not part of your scheme affecting the development. Babbity's team offers baseline noise monitoring, air quality testing, impact assessment, reporting and mitigation strategies and assessment of residual impacts.

The evaluation of the cultural heritage of a site includes the study, documentation and evaluation of built structures, primarily buildings of historical interest, as well as landscapes. Research includes chronicling the history of the property and its occupants, the documentation of architectural features and the review of development proposals. Babbity can supply both desk top reviews or full site evaluations as required.

The ECoW role is fundamental to the construction industry, providing advice and guidance on best practice in a variety of environmental issues on site. Our ECoWs are highly qualified and have a depth of experience, delivering a personal, responsive and client-centred service in Scotland and the wider UK.

We provide comprehensive Flood Risk Assessments, in line with Scottish Planning Policy (SPP) requirements which satisfy both SEPA and Local Authorities. We are also able to utilise flood water into developments through our blue-green masterplanning design.

A successful masterplan is the foundation stone of any new major development. A modern masterplan should look at improving local and regional biodiversity, mitigating the effects of climate change, improving air quality and managing regional hydrology patterns. Babbity are experts in supporting planning professionals in producing sustainable and forward looking masterplans.

HIA is a tool used to identify the health impacts of a plan or project and to develop recommendations to maximise the positive impacts and minimise the negative impacts, while maintaining a focus on addressing health inequalities. By bringing such health considerations to the fore, HIAs add value to the planning process in a multidisciplinary approach that draws from and builds on information presented in environmental assessments, as well as more holistic metrics of human health & wellbeing.

LVIA is used to help design the proposed change as well as assess its effects, so that negative landscape effects are avoided, reduced or offset. Where a development is likely to have negative impacts on landscape, LVIA usually forms part of the environmental assessment. It can also be used as part of the appraisal of development proposals and planning applications.

Ecosystem services assessments are valuable assessment tools for all sectors of business and society. They can be applied to determine and communicate the broader ramifications of decisions, policies and planned schemes and strategies; to consider options for the future use, or management, of habitats; to broaden the scope of impact assessments; to address the robustness of business plans; and to communicate with, and better engage, local communities. Contact us to see how we can help.

The MIDAS (Methodology for the Identification of Appropriate Development Sites) process, unique to Babbity, is an innovative, flexible, parameter-based site selection tool that is based on stakeholder engagement backed by GIS mapping techniques. MIDAS will allow the team to take a proactive approach to guiding spatial planning and help determine optimum locations for EfW development in Scotland. Need to find the right location for your project? Babbity can help.