20 Years in the Business
To celebrate our 10th anniversary, Penn Associates became a limited company in May 2011. Coincidentally May 2011 also marks the 20th anniversary of the co-founding of the Robinson Penn Partnership in Newcastle by our Director, Dr Rachel Penn. We look forward to working with our clients and colleagues for many more years to come.
Burton Woods Biopark
When Barratt Homes was granted planning permission for housing development on a greenfield site on the fringes of Spennymoor, it was a condition of the planning approval that a Biopark was created to compensate for habitat losses resulting from the scheme. Barratt commenced work in 2008 to transform an area of intensive arable land into a wildlife [...]
Whin Grassland
Whin grassland is a habitat type more or less confined to whin outcrops in Northumberland. It contains some of the UK’s rarest plant species such as spignel, maiden pink and chives. Working with the Northumberland Wildlife Trust, local botanists and geologists, we have been contributing, on behalf of Tarmac, to research into the current extent of whin grassland [...]
Tarmac Biodiversity Benchmark Awards
Tarmac Northumberland and North Yorkshire Quarry Managers were delighted to be the first Tarmac regions to be awarded the coveted Biodiversity Benchmark Award. The Biodiversity Benchmark is an independent verification by The Wildlife Trusts of an organisations work to enhance the biodiversity of the land it owns or manages. All active Tarmac quarry sites in Northumberland and North [...]
Broadoak Quarry welcomes Chris Packham
Chris Packham was a welcome guest at Tarmac’s Broadoak quarry recently, to which he was invited to mark an agreement between Tarmac and the Northumberland Wildlife Trust to jointly manage the site for wildlife. Restoration of the former sand and gravel quarry in the Derwent Valley, Northumberland has resulted in the creation of an area of local [...]
Gift to Durham University Botanic Gardens
Penn Associates Ecology Ltd recently assisted Tarmac with a very special gift to the Durham University Botanic Garden. Turfs, which contain wild plants that are characteristic of magnesian limestone grassland, were lifted from Old Quarrington Quarry and donated to the gardens. The turfs, which include a number of wild orchids, will be carefully propagated and displayed in the [...]
Hamsterley Hall Planning Inquiry
Rachel Penn was recently called as expert witness at the planning inquiry into proposed development at Hamsterley Hall, County Durham. Hamsterley Hall is a Grade II* 18th century country house which was the historic home of Viscount Gort and before that the Surtees family. It requires extensive restoration and renovation to protect its historic features and render it fit for [...]
Welcome to Penn Associates
We are an ecological consultancy based in Hexham, Northumberland and working principally in the north of England and Scotland. We undertake ecological surveys, such as those that may be needed to accompany a planning application or to ensure compliance with wildlife legislation.
We have extensive experience in the design, implementation and management of habitat creation projects such as meadow creation, wetland and woodland planting using local provenance plant material where possible. We are one of the very few ecological consultancies that has expertise in preparing Biodiversity Management Systems that meet the strict Biodiversity Benchmark auditing standard. We also prepare Biodiversity Action Plans and Management Plans for companies, as well as undertaking the ecology component of the Code for Sustainable Homes and Breeam schemes using only fully accredited ecologists.
Established in 1991 (as The Robinson Penn Partnership) and since 2000 as Penn Associates, we have built a varied and loyal client base which range from private individuals to multinational companies as well as governmental bodies and planning authorities working in the fields of mineral extraction, energy provision, housing, retail and commercial development amongst others. Our ecologists are fully qualified, Chartered Environmentalists (CEnv) and Members of the Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (MIEEM), to whose Code of Professional Conduct we adhere.