Friendly and approachable professionals

OUR EXPERTISE

Lepus provides professional, best value environmental consulting services for sustainable development from our offices in Cheltenham.

Our client base is distributed across public and private sector clients. This includes central government, national park authorities, local planning authorities, renewable energy sector, residential and transport sector clients.

Our approach to each project is customised to the client’s requirements. As a client you can expect director level appreciation and appraisal of the project. The team will deliver the project under director leadership. We are a listening consultancy.

All of our staff are professionally trained in environmental planning to masters level. They are all members of various professional institutes including CIEEM, IEMA and the RTPI. Our team is able to draw on a rich variety of project and programme experience.

If you require advice on your planning application affecting ecology, biodiversity, or landscape then please get in touch via enquiries@lepusconsulting.com.

If you are currently preparing a Neighbourhood Development Plan or Development Plan Document, or other document for which an SEA may be required, we provide planning and strategic environmental assessment support and would be more than happy to discuss your requirements.

OUR TEAM

All of our staff are professionally trained in environmental planning to masters level. Our team is able to draw on a rich variety of project and programme experience.

Neil Davidson BSc MSc CEnv CIEEM CMLI

DIRECTOR

Neil is a founder of Lepus Consulting and a landscape ecologist, applying the principles of landscape level planning to help shape land use plans and programmes so that they maximise sustainable development performance.

Having worked in local and central government for 10 years, providing ecological, green infrastructure, recreational and landscape management and protection advice, he also served as a policy advisor.

He is one of the UK’s leading strategic environmental planning experts and set up Lepus, in part, to support local planning authorities in the preparation of their local plans. He regularly appears at examination in public and has an invaluable in-depth knowledge of plan making. Neil specialises in the Strategic Environmental Assessment, Green Infrastructure planning and Habitats Regulations Assessment of plans and programmes.

Neil is passionate about landscape ecology and the opportunities to optimise ecosystem services through appropriate land use configuration; he is fascinated by butterfly metapopulation dynamics in calcareous landscapes.

Ellen Satchwell BSc MSc

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT

Ellen is an Environmental Consultant who obtained her MSc in Environmental Consultancy from Newcastle University. Ellen's strong research background has given her the skills to collect and analyse data and communicate her findings in practical and meaningful reports, presentations and meetings.

Ellen previously worked at a utilities company producing Biodiversity Action Plans and site management documents to promote and enhance biodiversity. This involved detailed studies of the sites and lesion with external bodies including the local biological records centre.

Ellen has experience in Habitat Regulations Assessments, Sustainability Appraisals, and Ecological Impact Assessments. Most recently she has been working on the Newark and Sherwood HRA, her ecological and hydrology background means that she is able to accurately analyse adverse impacts at European sites.

Samantha Cheater

PRINCIPAL ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT

Qualifications:

MSc Environmental Impact Assessment & Management

BSc Geographical Sciences

Project Director and landscape ecology disciple. Passionate about ‘absolute’ sustainable development. Dedicated Aston Villa fan

Catherine Wright

SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT

Laura Beveridge

ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTANT

Laura joined Lepus in 2018, after graduating from the University of Birmingham with a first class MSci in Biological Sciences.

At university, Laura’s masters project focused on the impacts of climate change and increased carbon dioxide on woodland ecosystems. Building on her background in research and data analysis, Laura has developed strong skills in report writing and assessments using GIS for Sustainability Appraisals and Strategic Environmental Assessments. As an Environmental Consultant, she has also gained experience in writing Screening Reports for Neighbourhood Development Plans, and has assisted with Habitats Regulations Assessments.

Laura has always been interested in the natural world and hopes to continue to provide support for sustainable development in the UK throughout her career.