Land Studio launches ecology division, hires director
Val Gateley has left The Environment Partnership after more than 16 years to head up the landscape architecture and engineering design studio’s newly created department.
Established in 2016, Land Studio has expanded to launch an ecology division, which will offer clients a range of services including biodiversity net gain assessments in support of their projects.
Gateley brings specialist knowledge in habitat survey and assessment with him to the role of director of ecology.
Gateley has joined the company’s Chester office to lead the department, which has been set up to help ensure projects fully integrate biodiversity net gain requirements and successfully mitigate any impacts to protected species.
Simon Richards, managing director of Land Studio, said: “As a studio that champions a nature-led design approach through our expertise in landscape architecture, sustainable drainage design, and building with nature, ecology is a fundamental part of our approach and a key service that we have been keen to integrate.
“We look at all our projects from a holistic perspective that considers both the built and natural environments in equal measure, so we’re excited to expand into providing ecology design”, he continued.
“Our ecology expertise encompasses a wide range of services, including ecological surveys, biodiversity net gain assessments, habitat creation, enhancement, and restoration, and we can fully integrate them within our design process to meet the needs of our clients.
“This streamlined approach will create high-quality integrated design solutions and save our clients time and money, removing the need to engage multiple consultants to address the requirements of a project.”
Gateley added: “It’s great to join the Land Studio team and to be part of a forward-thinking business bringing landscape architecture, engineering, and ecology all together in one practice.
“I’m passionate about biodiversity enhancement and working closely together as an in-house team on the design of projects from the initial stages makes absolute sense.”
Land Studio employs nine people across its two North West offices located in Chester and Flintshire. Some recent projects the firm is working on include Benjamin Property Group’s 154-apartment Cheetham Hill tower and Cube Homes’ 50 house-scheme in Tameside.
