Lepus believes in planning at the landscape scale to deliver sustainable development. 

OUR SERVICES

Lepus is a landscape ecology, environmental planning and sustainability appraisal practice based in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire.

Lepus Consulting is an established specialist environmental assessment practice. Our skilled team of professional environmental planners, ecologists and landscape architects work proactively with our clients to develop high quality assessments, advice and guidance.  We work on a wide range of projects from both the public and private sector.

Sustainable development sits at the heart of our business.  We develop strong working relationships with our clients in order to integrate these principles into all aspects of our work. 

Our service provision focuses on landscape ecology, planning and urban sustainability.  Specific products include sustainability appraisal, strategic environmental assessment, green infrastructure planning, landscape assessment, habitats regulations assessment, landscape ecology and expert witness. 

OUR PROJECTS

Lepus works across the UK with a range of different clients.  See below for a selection of recent projects.

LANDSCAPE CHARACTER ASSESSMENT FOR SOUTH OXFORDSHIRE
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HABITATS REGULATIONS ASSESSMENT FOR WORCESTERSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL'S LOCAL TRANSPORT PLAN
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SUSTAINABILITY APPRAISAL FOR THE BLACK COUNTRY JOINT LOCAL PLAN
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GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE STUDY FOR THE PARTNERSHIP FOR URBAN SOUTH HAMPSHIRE (PUSH)
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"Lepus have assisted Workham and our partners on a variety of different projects. The team have always been proactive and responsive to our needs and provided practical advice and solutions."

Dominic White, Workham Property Group
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LATEST NEWS

Our news page will provide you with a flavour of the views, news and other relevant information about current thinking on environmental planning and sustainable place making. Take a look below, or see our news page.

January 16, 2025
TEAM AWAY DAY: FORAGING AND BOTANY IN NOTGROVE  In our ongoing mission to foster environmental education and sustainable practices, our environmental consultancy team recently participated in a foraging course held in the picturesque Cotswold village of Notgrove. The Notgrove Estate offered the perfect backdrop for this hands-on learning experience. With its diverse ecosystems, the area is rich in flora and fungi, making it an ideal location for understanding the abundance of edible plants and mushrooms that can be foraged throughout the year. The course was hosted by Wild Food UK who run courses across the country, at varying times of year with the aim of encouraging peoples connection to nature. Our day began with a warm welcome and an informative introduction to Wild Food UK and the foraging experience that lay ahead. We were briefed on the countryside codes, with particular emphasis on the Foraging Code, which highlights the ethical and responsible practices necessary for sustainable foraging. The group then set off on a walk around the Notgrove Estate’s expansive grounds. Led by an expert foraging instructor, we were taught how to identify a variety of edible plants and mushrooms. Each plant we identified had its own history of being used in cooking, medicine, and folklore and it was fascinating to learn. The day concluded with a wild food meal that included a selection of foraged dishes prepared by our instructor, each showcasing the plants and fungi we had gathered during our walk. In addition to the hands-on experience, each participant was sent a comprehensive set of course notes a few days after the course. This included links to articles and resources related to the plants and mushrooms we encountered during the day, providing us with an opportunity to continue our learning journey. For our consultancy team, the foraging course was an invaluable experience. It deepened our understanding of local ecosystems, and enhanced our awareness of the biodiversity that surrounds us, reinforcing the importance of sustainable practices in all aspects of environmental work. We left Notgrove with not only a greater appreciation for the natural world but also the tools to integrate foraging and sustainable food practices into our personal and professional lives.
By Poppy O'Riordan May 21, 2024
COMPILATION AND REVIEW OF EVIDENCE LEADING TO SANG AND SAMM PROVISION Natural England has published a report which provides a review of methods and evidence published about recreational impacts on European protected sites and the solutions for their mitigation. This report was produced by the team at Lepus Consulting who worked closely with Natural England to deliver this study. Development, and specifically housing growth, has the potential to increase public recreation and disturbance pressures at some of the most ecologically sensitive sites across the country. European and Ramsar sites are designated for a number of qualifying habitats and species of international importance and are particularly vulnerable to recreational pressure. Currently, the impacts of these pressures are addressed at European designated sites through the adoption of mitigating actions referred to as strategic solutions. The aim is to divert recreational pressure to an alternative location by providing Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG) and/or to address recreational impacts on site through the adoption of Strategic Access Management and Monitoring (SAMM) measures. SANG and SAMM often work in parallel with one another. The study reviews 16 Local Planning Authority case studies, to produce a series of recommendations designed to ensure a process of best practice is followed for identifying, designing, and securing recreational mitigation. These include: maintenance of a robust and periodically updated evidence base, an established ZOI, a partnership approach, communication with site users, a consistent and comprehensive monitoring strategy and linking mitigation solutions with wider initiatives such as Green Infrastructure, Local Nature Recovery Networks and Biodiversity Net Gain amongst others. To read the full article please visit the Natural England website: https://publications.naturalengland.org.uk/publication/6015060338802688
July 26, 2023
CIEEM 2023 SMALL CONSULTANCY OF THE YEAR AWARD NOMINEES Following being shortlisted by the CIEEM panel for the 2023 Small Consultancy of the Year Award, the Lepus Team attended the awards ceremony at the Birmingham Botanical Gardens for an evening hosted by CIEEM. After listening to some incredibly innovative work being carried out across the country by fellow practitioners, and some engaging discussion about BNG opportunities within the UK, we were awarded 'commended' in our field. This award recognises consultancies which deliver high quality ecological services and are an exemplar employer and advocate for the profession. To be chosen by the panel and awarded a commended position is a real testament to the hard work of our team over the year. Roll on 2024!

LET'S TALK

Lepus helps shape effective and appropriate environmental planning policy for our clients by delivering products that are meaningful, sound and insightful. 

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