What Arbtech does

Arbtech Consulting Ltd is a privately held UK ecological and arboricultural consultancy headquartered in Chester, with a registered office in Manchester and a Jersey office serving the Crown Dependencies. Founded in 2005, the firm employs 150+ staff and delivers ecological, arboricultural, and environmental survey services required for UK planning applications, including Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, ecology surveys, BS5837 tree surveys, protected species surveys (bats, great crested newts, birds, badgers, reptiles), contaminated land assessments, air quality assessments (using ADMS-Roads dispersion modelling), invasive species surveys, flood risk and drainage surveys, topographical surveys, and odour assessments. Service delivery relies on licensed ecologists with Natural England permits, specialist equipment (broadband bat detectors), and partnerships with air quality, odour, and laboratory DNA analysis providers such as the University of Warwick.

The business operates a project-based, unit-priced model with surveys starting from £299 (basic tree or protected species surveys) up to £950+ (contaminated land), plus disbursement handling fees and a paid next-day report upgrade. Customer acquisition is direct via a website quote form and phone (0330 127 3101), supported by SEO-driven content, an extensive case-study library, and trust signals from third-party review platforms. Customers span residential homeowners, small and mid-sized developers, architects and planning consultants, housing associations, and local authorities (e.g., Wirral Council). The firm differentiates on speed (next-day reports, hours-not-days enquiry response), price (claimed lowest in segment via scale), and a money-back guarantee if planning is refused on the basis of its advice, and reports having supported 80,000+ projects since 2005 with 18,000+ projects annually.

Name

Arbtech

Legal name

Arbtech Consulting Ltd

Website

https://arbtech.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2005

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

101–250 employees

Short description

Arbtech Consulting Ltd is a UK-based ecological and arboricultural consultancy delivering biodiversity, ecology, tree, and environmental surveys for planning applications, serving homeowners, developers, architects, and local authorities across the UK and Crown Dependencies with 150+ staff.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Chester

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Survey and Assessment Services: One-time professional services for ecological, arboricultural, and environmental surveys required for planning applications. Services include biodiversity net gain assessments, ecology surveys, tree surveys, protected species surveys, contaminated land assessments, air quality assessments, invasive species surveys, and flood risk assessments. Pricing varies by survey type with starting prices ranging from £299 to £950.
2. Disbursements: Additional costs incurred in the course of discharging client instructions, such as obtaining Ordnance Survey tiles for tree surveys or obtaining biological data from wildlife trusts or local authority records centres. Reimbursed at cost plus a £50 handling charge.
3. Next-Day Report Delivery: Premium expedited report delivery service with guaranteed next working day turnaround for an additional charge.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Arbtech is a UK-wide ecological and arboricultural consultancy that conducts biodiversity, ecology, protected species, tree, contaminated land, air quality, invasive species, flood risk and topographical surveys for clients pursuing planning permission. Services are sold per survey at fixed starting prices (from £299 to £950+) and delivered by 150+ in-house licensed ecologists and arboriculturalists, with reports written and delivered electronically upon payment.

Product overview

Arbtech is an ecological and arboricultural consultancy providing survey and assessment services for planning applications across the UK. The company offers a comprehensive portfolio of environmental consulting services centered around biodiversity, ecology, and tree surveys. The core service offering includes Biodiversity Net Gain assessments, Ecology Surveys (preliminary ecological appraisals, habitat surveys, protected species surveys), Tree Surveys (BS5837, risk assessments, mortgage reports), Protected Species Surveys (bats, great crested newts, birds, badgers, reptiles), Contaminated Land Assessments, Air Quality Assessments (including ADMS-Roads dispersion modelling, dust risk, indoor air quality, site suitability), Invasive Species Surveys, Flood Risk and Drainage Surveys, Topographical Surveys, and Odour Assessments. These services are offered as individual consulting engagements with add-on specialized assessments such as European Protected Species Licence applications. The company operates on a project-based pricing model starting from £299 for basic surveys up to £950+ for complex contaminated land assessments.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment Comprehensive Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) service covering assessments, plans, reports, and planning applications, including metrics, costs, units and credits, for developers needing to satisfy statutory BNG requirements.
• Ecology Surveys Ecological consultancy service offering preliminary ecological appraisals, Phase 1 habitat surveys, and protected species licences for planning applicants.
• Tree Surveys BS5837-compliant tree surveys, VALID tree risk assessments, arboricultural impact assessments, site monitoring, and tree reports for mortgage purposes.
• Protected Species Surveys Licensed ecologist-conducted surveys for protected species including bats, great crested newts, birds, badgers, and reptiles.
• Contaminated Land Surveys Phase 1 contaminated land surveys for planning applications, including gas risk assessments and materials management plans.
• Air Quality Assessments Air quality surveys including detailed assessments using ADMS-Roads dispersion modelling, dust risk assessments, and indoor air quality monitoring, to support planning applications.
• Invasive Species Surveys Surveys for problematic invasive non-native plant species, including Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed, Himalayan balsam and injurious weeds.
• Flood Risk, Water and Drainage Surveys Surveys to help manage flood risk on development sites, including drainage strategy and SuDS assessments.
• Topographical Surveys Topographical mapping and surveying services for development sites.
• Next-Day Report Delivery Upgrade Paid upgrade guaranteeing report delivery by 5pm the day after the survey for time-pressed customers.

Quantifiable outcome

• Money-back guarantee if planning is refused based on their advice (subject to conditions)
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Three partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Crown Dependencies Estates TeamminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Partnership being developed with an estates team based in the Crown Dependencies (Guernsey, Jersey, Isle of Man) to support survey work in these territories. Arbtech holds States of Jersey bat licences.
• Air Quality Assessment PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArbtech works with specialist providers of air quality assessment services using ADMS-Roads dispersion modelling software. The partners conduct detailed air quality assessments, dust risk assessments, odour assessments, and indoor air quality monitoring across all UK regions.
• Odour Assessment PartnerscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerArbtech partners with accomplished specialists for high-standard odour assessment services. Surveyors cover specific parts of the UK, delivering air quality management and odour assessment services using professional survey equipment, accredited laboratory testing, and expert mitigation planning.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• BSG Ecology: UK-based ecological consultancy providing protected species surveys, ecological appraisals, biodiversity net gain assessments, and arboricultural services for planning applications. Highly comparable to Arbtech in service mix, customer base (developers, architects, planning consultants), and project-by-project pricing model.
• Tyler Grange: Independent UK ecology consultancy delivering ecological impact assessments, biodiversity net gain, protected species, and arboricultural surveys for development and planning clients. Comparable to Arbtech in core offerings and developer/council customer segments.
• Middlemarch Environmental: UK-wide ecological consultancy offering biodiversity, protected species, arboricultural and habitat surveys to planners, developers and architects. Closely matches Arbtech's service breadth and reliance on UK planning-driven demand.
• Thomson Environmental Consultants: UK ecological consultancy providing protected species surveys, ecological appraisals, arboriculture, and BNG services for planning and development projects. Direct overlap with Arbtech on service lines and end-customers.
• Ecology Solutions: UK ecological consultancy delivering protected species, habitat, arboricultural and biodiversity net gain assessments for developers, architects and local authorities. Comparable in scope, customer mix, and reliance on planning-application workflow.
• Wildwood Ecology: UK-based ecological consultancy providing bat, great crested newt, reptile and other protected species surveys, plus preliminary ecological appraisals, to the same planning-driven customer base as Arbtech.

Broad incumbents

• WSP: Global professional services firm with a substantial UK ecology and environmental impact assessment practice serving housebuilders, infrastructure clients and public-sector frameworks. Overlaps with Arbtech on ecology and BNG but operates at much larger scale and as a multidisciplinary consultancy.
• Arcadis: Global design, engineering and environmental consultancy with ecology and environmental planning capabilities in the UK. Comparable on environmental assessment offerings but typically serves larger enterprise and infrastructure clients rather than SMB residential developers.
• Jacobs: Large global consultancy providing environmental and ecological services alongside its broader infrastructure and planning practice in the UK. Provides an alternative for enterprise-scale planning applications where Arbtech is typically not engaged.

Emerging players

• NatureMetrics: UK-based nature technology company offering eDNA-based biodiversity monitoring and assessment. Adjacent to Arbtech's DNA bat-dropping partnership with the University of Warwick, with potential to complement or substitute traditional ecological survey methods over time.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses2 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/arbtech_

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Arbtech