Chris Toohie MSc. MCIEEM

Chris Toohe MSc. MCIEEM has spent all his working life in the environmental sector. He is an experienced and competent site manager with well-developed organisational skills and a proven ability to deal with a variety of situations in pressurised and challenging environments.

Qualifications

• MSc in Arboriculture and Community Forest Management.
• Great Crested Newt survey licence (2016-19412-CLS).
• Natural England bat licence (RC027).

Chris has over 10 years’ experience of managing the most important countryside sites in East Yorkshire. These include Local Nature Reserves at Millington Wood SSSI (arguably the finest botanical woodland in the county), Beverley Parks Millennium Orchard and three reserves on Flamborough Head Heritage Coast/SSSI. In this role, Chris has gained an understanding of balancing ecological interests with stakeholder requirements. Chris completed over 14 years within local authority countryside services and during this time, he instigated accreditation from the Forest Stewardship Council at all East Riding of Yorkshire Council-owned woodlands, ensuring compliance with the UK Woodland Assurance Standard.

Chris is heavily involved in local projects and has volunteered his time and resources to benefit local conservation projects that include the Wolds Barn Owl Study Group and apple conservation. As a trustee of Driffield’s Millennium Green, Chris has allocated his own time and financial resources to enhance the ecological value of the site. Chris is an excellent communicator and his enthusiasm for his work has enabled the successful deliverance of numerous conservation schemes. Chris has been instrumental in raising over £100,000 for environmental and community projects since 2005.

Project Experience in Last Five Years

Chris has undertaken over 750 bat activity surveys since 2006, including writing and implementing Natural England bat development licences. 

Chris is one of 120 (April 2016) Natural England Registered Consultants in the UK and this allows Chris to hold a Natural England Bat Low Impact Class Licence.  The BLICL was launched in 2015 and trials have successfully reduced the burden on the customer by reducing the application paper work, scrutiny of the three tests prior to a licence being granted and speed in which a licence decision was determined. It also enabled a more proportionate approach to licensing to be taken for certain case types which will reduce the costs if roosting bats are present.

BLICL is designed for low impact roosts only, e.g. not maternity roosts or hibernacula. The development must also not affect more than three individuals of the seven most common and widespread bat species. The low impact bat class license negates the statutory 6 to 10 week period for a normal license to be considered, although there is still a waiting period of around 5 to 10 days.