What types of data can I request?
The main type of data that commercial enquirers request is detailed in Standard Enquiry Search. For public enquirers, a brief breakdown of what you could expect to obtain from us is available in Data We Can Provide.
Will I have to pay anything for the data?
Firstly, BRERC does not charge for the data, but for the time and expertise needed to extract it from our systems.
You will be charged for your enquiry if it is for commercial purposes. Please consult our Commercial Charging Policy. If your enquiry is for non-commercial purposes, you will not be charged, but please see our Public Charging Policy.
Why does it cost so much?
We believe our charges are very reasonable, in that they reflect the time, skills and effort that go into producing a finished data enquiry. We utilise a modern suite of computer hardware and software to extract the majority of our data. The data we supply is detailed, accurate and clearly presented. Our enquiry response is fast, efficient and flexible. We compare very favourably with many other Environmental Records Centres on all the above terms.
For commercial enquiries, our minimum charge of £85 (effective from 1st August 2004) for a full standard search with 0.5km buffer has risen just £10 in four years. In the case of enquiries from the public, these will continue to be free.
How long will my enquiry take?
BRERC aims to complete all enquiries within ten working days of receipt of the Information Search Agreement Form. Often our response is quicker than this. If you have a specific deadline then please contact BRERC, although we reserve the right to impose a 25% surcharge for a speedy turnaround.
Do you provide a free service for landowners?
This depends on the purpose of the enquiry. If the landowner is requesting the data for nature conservation purposes (i.e.: Non-profitable activities) then it is likely there will be no charge. However, if the enquiry is linked to developing the area or a commercial scheme then the enquiry will be charged. It should be noted that BRERC reserves the right to charge for any given enquiry.
Can I come and look through your records?
No, as really it’s not ‘our’ data. All our records are provided to us by many organisations and individuals who retain any rights to those records. So in short, we are allowed to store their data and make use of individual species records (for example), but we could not have anyone else sifting through this data.
Secondly, all the data (both paper and computerised) is considered confidential in its raw state. Before we provide data to anyone, we have to make sure the data we send conforms to certain legalities, such as the removal of names and addresses in line with the Data Protection Act.
What other data do you hold?
BRERC holds a huge amount of environmental data stretching back for over a century. The most relevant, up to date and important data is easily accessible via either our GIS or BLISS systems, and it is this data that is most frequently asked for and provided by all our enquirers.
As a central repository for environmental data, BRERC holds much more information than this. Unfortunately, this data is not subject to the same processes as the data available for general enquiries. We are happy to treat this information in exactly the same way as we would with a normal enquiry, but much of it is not easily accessible or as organised. Therefore, any non standard enquiry is likely to take a longer time in terms of its feasibility, cost and implementation.
BRERC is working towards making this data much more freely available. We are working on a meta-database to index every single piece of information held in BRERC, so that it can be found with ease in a matter of minutes. Unfortunately, due to the huge amounts of data held, it will be some time before this is fully complete. In the short term we are looking to add more information to our GIS systems, including Severn estuary data and panoramic maps. We are also able to update our notable species lists on a regular basis now that we have a new database system in place, and records on species, habitats and sites are added to and updated daily.
If you have a non-standard enquiry, then please contact us to ask if we hold the data, and if so, how easily it can be accessed. We envisage extending the range of data available in the coming months, both in terms of the type of data already available and other datasets too.