Melissa joined Place services in July 2019 after graduating with a degree in Environmental Biology and experience working as a Seasonal Ecological Consultant.
Melissa supports the existing team of ecologists by assisting with project delivery and working as part of the wider Place Services multidisciplinary team. This includes providing ecological advice to Local Planning Authority officers in relation to planning applications, for Essex County Council and for our District and Borough partners.
Melissa has experience in carrying out/and assisting with field surveys for legally protected species (Bats, Great Crested Newts, Reptiles and Hazel Dormouse) and preparing Ecological constraint reports and Ecological Impact Assessments. She has also acted as Ecological Clerk of Works (ECoW) for a variety of projects. Melissa is a Qualifying member of the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM).
Since joining Place Services Melissa has continued to develop and expand her skills, through attending the East Anglian Planning and Biodiversity Seminar and undertaking training in Otter and Water Vole Ecology and Surveying, Bats and trees, Kaleidoscope pro for bat sound analysis, UK Habitat Classification, Basic Training on Confined Spaces, and National Water Safety Level 1 and 2.
Outside of work Melissa has a love of the natural world and enjoys having regular involvement in a range of environmental groups including Essex Bat Group & Essex and Suffolk Dormouse Group.