Drone surveys across the South West

A coastline that keeps moving

The South West has more coastline than any other English region, and much of it is soft, eroding or protected. The Jurassic Coast World Heritage Site runs from Exmouth to Studland, and cliffs, beaches and defences from north Cornwall to the Dorset coast are under constant review in shoreline management plans. Repeat LiDAR and photogrammetric surveys give councils, landowners and engineers a measured record of cliff retreat and beach change, captured without anyone working at the cliff edge.

Designations are everywhere: SSSIs, national parks on Dartmoor and Exmoor, National Landscapes across much of Cornwall, Devon, Dorset and the Cotswolds, and special protection areas for birds along the coast. Where a survey could affect an SSSI's special features, owners and occupiers may need Natural England's consent, and public bodies have their own duty to seek assent. We check every site against the designations at planning stage, build any consent time into the programme and time flights to avoid disturbing wildlife.

Minerals, energy and growth

The Mendip Hills are one of the country's most important sources of crushed limestone, with some very large quarries supplying the South East by rail. Cornwall's china clay industry around St Austell, and on the edge of Dartmoor at Lee Moor, has left extensive tips, pits and lagoons that need monitoring and restoration. Alongside the minerals, the region has a large and growing number of solar farms, grid connection projects linked to Celtic Sea floating wind, the Somerset Levels' flood management and continued housing growth around Bristol, Exeter and Swindon.

• Cliff and beach monitoring for coastal authorities and landowners
• Mendip limestone quarry stock, face and extraction surveys
• China clay tip, pit and lagoon surveys in Cornwall and Devon
• Floodplain and drainage LiDAR on the Somerset Levels and Moors
• Solar, battery storage and grid route surveys across the region