Phillips Ecology

What Phillips Ecology does

Phillips Ecology is a small, independent UK ecological consultancy founded in 2018 and headquartered in Hampshire with a second office in Norfolk. The firm delivers protected-species and habitat surveys, preliminary ecological appraisals, extended Phase 1 assessments, and Natural England licence applications to support planning submissions across Southern, Eastern and Central England. Services span bats, dormice, great crested newts, reptiles, badgers, otters, water voles, and breeding/wintering birds, with reporting calibrated to Local Planning Authority expectations under Natural England Standing Advice and Circular 06/2005.

The business is fundamentally a professional-services operation: revenue is generated through custom fee proposals on a project-by-project basis, with workflow anchored on direct phone, email, and website enquiry channels. Target customers are predominantly SMB applicants — householders and small developers submitting householder, outline or full planning applications, plus a secondary segment of Local Planning Authorities and LPA Ecologists who need specialist ecological input. The five-strong team (founder Izabel Phillips plus Principal Ecologist Trevor D Codlin MCIEEM, Ecologist, Assistant Ecologist, and a Virtual Assistant) is the core delivery unit.

Founder Izabel Phillips' prior role providing specialist ecological advice to LPAs from Hampshire County Council is the firm's primary competitive positioning, marketed as practical insight into how planning officers and LPA ecologists evaluate ecological evidence. The consultancy does not develop proprietary technology, software, or AI tooling; competitive differentiation rests on practitioner experience, local institutional knowledge, and the ability to issue pragmatic, proportionate reports that satisfy LPA scrutiny.

Name

Phillips Ecology

Legal name

Phillips Ecology

Website

https://phillipsecology.co.uk

Company type

Private

Founded year

2018

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Phillips Ecology is a UK independent ecological consultancy (founded 2018, 5 staff) providing protected-species surveys, Phase 1 habitat assessments, and Natural England licence applications to support planning applications across Southern, Eastern and Central England.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Ecological Consultancy Services

akta.pro primary industry

Threatened & Endangered Species (TES) / Protected Species Surveys & Compliance (EUAHAHAD)

akta.pro secondary industries

Terrestrial Ecology & Habitat Surveys (EUAHAHAA), Wildlife, Biodiversity & Habitat Conservation Administration (BPAIAMAG)

Keywords

• Ecological consultancy services
• Protected species surveys
• Planning application support
• Habitat assessments
• Biodiversity surveys

Headquarters

HQ city

Meonstoke

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Ecological Survey and Assessment Services: Professional ecological consultancy services including preliminary ecological appraisals, extended phase 1 ecological surveys, bat surveys, dormouse surveys, great crested newt surveys, reptile surveys, badger surveys, bird surveys, and otter/water vole surveys. Services support planning applications and meet requirements of planning conditions and obligations. Also includes protected species licence applications.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels3 records

Core offering

Phillips Ecology is a small independent ecological consultancy that delivers protected species surveys (bats, dormice, great crested newts, reptiles, badgers, otters, water voles, birds) plus preliminary ecological appraisals, extended Phase 1 assessments, and Natural England protected species licence applications. These services are tailored to support residential and commercial planning applications across Southern, Eastern and Central England.

Product overview

Phillips Ecology is a small independent ecological consultancy that provides ecological survey, assessment, and mitigation services for planning applications. Their service offering consists of specialized protected species surveys (including bat, dormouse, great crested newt, reptile, badger, otter, water vole, and bird surveys), preliminary ecological appraisals, extended Phase 1 ecological assessments, and protected species licence applications. These services are tailored to support residential and commercial planning applications across Southern, Eastern, and Central England.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (PEA) and Extended Phase 1 Ecological Assessment Initial ecological survey services that establish whether a site supports protected species suitability, typically required by Local Planning Authorities as part of a planning submission.
• Bat Survey Comprehensive bat survey service including preliminary roost assessment and activity surveys (dusk/dawn) to establish presence or absence of bat roosts, primarily for planning applicants.
• Dormouse Survey Hazel dormouse surveys using nest tubes and nut searches within suitable woodland, hedgerow, and scrub habitats to support planning applications.
• Great Crested Newt Survey Surveys for great crested newts using up to six visits during the spring survey season with various detection techniques to support planning and licence requirements.
• Otter and Water Vole Survey Surveys for otters and water voles along rivers, streams, ditches, and drains affecting water courses and habitat within 5 metres of bank top.
• Badger Survey Surveys to check for active badger setts on or within 30 metres of a site, establishing sett status and activity levels for planning submissions.
• Reptile Survey Reptile surveys using artificial refugia to detect reptile populations, distribution, and population size within suitable habitats.
• Bird Survey Breeding bird and winter bird surveys to assess avian presence and population dynamics on proposed development sites.
• Protected Species Licence Applications Assistance with Natural England licence applications for works affecting protected species, including the development of mitigation strategies.

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights3 records

Direct peers

• Wildwood Ecology: Independent UK ecological consultancy delivering protected species surveys (bats, GCN, dormice, badgers, reptiles), PEAs and mitigation licensing for planning applications. Similar size and service focus to Phillips Ecology with overlap in target customers.
• Middlemarch Environmental: Ecological consultancy providing habitat and protected species surveys, ecological impact assessments and biodiversity work for development and planning clients across the UK. Comparable in scope of ecological services offered to planning applicants, though typically larger in scale.
• Arbtech Consulting: National ecological consultancy providing protected species surveys, tree surveys and arboricultural services for planning applications. Closely comparable in service portfolio (bats, GCN, dormice, badgers, reptiles), customer type (planning applicants, developers, agents) and use of online fee proposal workflows.
• Cotswold Ecology: Independent ecological consultancy serving southern and central England with PEAs, Phase 1 habitat surveys and protected species work for planning. Same independent-consultancy model, similar survey/methodology stack and analogous reliance on Local Planning Authority relationships.
• Ecology Solutions UK: Independent ecological consultancy providing habitat and protected species surveys for planning and development projects across southern England. Direct peer in service offering and customer base, with comparable reliance on LPA-trusted ecological reporting.
• Aspect Ecology: UK-based independent ecological consultancy offering preliminary ecological appraisals, protected species surveys (bats, GCN, dormice, reptiles, badgers) and licence applications for planning. Directly comparable in service mix, customer base (planning applicants and LPAs) and geographic footprint across southern and central England.

Emerging players

• NatureMetrics: UK-based environmental DNA (eDNA) and biodiversity analytics provider used by ecological consultancies and developers for species detection. Partial overlap as a technology-enabled complement to traditional protected species surveys that Phillips Ecology could either adopt or compete with for emerging eDNA-based survey work.

Broad incumbents

• AECOM Environment: Global infrastructure consulting firm with ecological capability covering habitat surveys, protected species work and biodiversity assessments for large development and infrastructure projects. Comparable only at the service-category level; vastly larger scale and broader scope.
• WSP Environment & Ecology: Global professional services firm with a substantial ecology practice delivering habitat and protected species surveys, ecological impact assessments and biodiversity net gain for major infrastructure and development projects. Overlaps in service lines but operates at vastly larger scale and across wider geographies.
• RSK ADAS: RSK Group's ecology and environmental consultancy arm offering ecological surveys, impact assessments and biodiversity services at scale. Comparable in core ecological service lines but operates as part of a much broader environmental services portfolio with national reach.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat2 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights5 records

Customer concentration

• Instagraminstagram.com/phillips_ecology
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/phillips-ecology

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

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 Phillips Ecology