Maslen Environmental Ltd. services

Communications and Social Science Research are specialist areas of work which involve: the study of society and the manner in which people communicate, behave and impact on the world. In this context we are concerned with the communication of information via public and stakeholder engagement or consultation and through visual, textural or numerical aids. Maslen`s knowledge in this area focuses on being able to combine environmental and societal dimensions in particular of water and hazard management, climate change, sustainable energy, environmental justice and on impacts on governance and decision making. These use a range of social science approaches from the collection and analysis of statistics to the collation of responses to questionnaires, interviews of focus groups and workshops, and the combination of these with message delivery.

JBA manages and develops Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) and Environmental Statements (ES). We also undertake Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA). Working with a wide range of clients, JBA has established a reputation for providing professional, independent and practical advice based on thorough scientific investigation. JBA Consulting`s Environment Team is capable of undertaking Environmental Impact Assessments for a range of diverse projects. We can project manage and co-ordinate a multi-disciplinary team to produce detailed Environmental Appraisals and Environmental Statements, addressing all potential environmental impacts of a project.

Hydrogeology concerns all work involving water in the ground (quantity, quality), surface and groundwater interaction and infiltration of water into the ground. Sub-sectors include: general hydrogeology, dewatering, groundwater monitoring, groundwater testing - pump testing etc, sampling, (chemical) assessment of groundwater resources (e.g. EA CAMS, private waters supplies), drainage (SUDS, soakaways), groundwater modelling (resources, contamination), waste (composting, digester and landfill sites), ground source heating, and contaminated land.

Modern society requires our landscapes to be ever more robust and adaptable, to provide a respite from high-density, high-pressure lifestyles. Achieving this requires imaginative, skilled landscape architects, who are committed to helping society deal with challenges such as growth and climate change, using key concepts like green infrastructure.

JBA offers a wide range of hydrological services required to assess and manage water resources in sensitive environments.  We have established a reputation for providing, independent and practical advice based on thorough scientific investigation with particular expertise of aquatic and wetland habitats.

Projects benefit from public consultation and the involvement of local stakeholders at key stages throughout their development for a number of reasons. Effective engagement with the community ensures that local knowledge and perspectives are appreciated and integrated in the design process. Consultation provides an opportunity for local communities and interest groups to communicate their objectives and aspirations for the site. It can also be used by developers or the local authority to explain development options to the local community. Engaging and working with communities is now widely recognised as demonstrating best practice in regeneration.

To communicate changes in the landscape such as development or responses  to Climate Change visualisation techniques provide ‘real’ impressions on how particular places might be affected. The visual form of communication is proven to be more efficiently processed and absorbed than textural, numerical or even diagrammatic data (references Tufte 1992). Visualisation techniques can be classified in two dimensions, static or dynamic and analogue or digital (Lange 2000). Static visualisations represent only a single view point, dynamic allow the viewpoint to change. Analogue refers to traditional manual techniques such as sketches, paintings and physical models whilst digital refers to the use of computing power and programmes as tools to create images.

The Specialist Wetland Group combines the knowledge and skills of three leading consultancies in the fields of: Wetland Ecology, Hydrology and Hydrogeology, Landscape Design, Landscape Planning and Assessment. The impacts of Climate Change (amongst other things) are highlighting the importance of finding integrated solutions to flood risk management and wetland creation/restoration. The members of the group are committed to providing; An integrated approach to all aspects of wetland assessment, design, modelling, creation, restoration and monitoring, Assistance in designing projects to maximise their nature conservation benefits, Buy-in and partnership through brokering and mentoring, Linkage with leading academic thinking, An ethical perspective, Sustainable solutions to engineering problems, Practical advice on the management of wetland habitats to meet environmental objectives.