gland’s consent for work in SSSIs.
- complete the supplementary notice of operations in an SSSI form and send it to the relevant Forestry Commission administrative hub, which will seek Natural England’s consent for you
- apply online for your felling licence
What to include when you request consent
Include the following details in your proposal:
- the name of the SSSI
- your name and address
- a description of what you intend to do and how
- the approximate start and end dates for the operation or activity
- the location of the proposed operation or activity(send a map with notes if you can)
You should include as much relevant information with your proposal, such as:
- what vehicles will need access to the site, the routes they’ll take and ground pressure they’ll exert (particularly across fens and bogs)
- how you’ll remove any spoil from the site
- the origin and chemical nature of materials you’ll bring onto the site
Natural England may contact you if it needs:
- more details about your request
- to clarify any issues about your request
Decisions on consent applications
Natural England aims to make consent decisions within 28 working days, but can take up to 4 calendar months, if necessary.
For eligible applications, you’ll get one of the following decisions once Natural England has assessed your application:
- consent granted without conditions (for example for operations that are necessary for achieving favourable condition)
- consent granted with conditions, such as requiring you to carry out operations in a certain way or at a certain time to avoid damage
- consent refused for any operations that would damage notified features
Withdrawal or modified consent
Natural England can withdraw or modify an existing consent if new surveys on the site show it’s declining from operations previously given consent. This is usually for exceptional cases only.
How Natural England makes a decision
Natural England decides whether to grant consent by assessing the scale and intensity of the proposed operation on the site’s notified features. It will assess the level at which the site can sustain the proposed operations without causing significant negative effects. This is known as the site’s ‘carrying capacity’.
Where possible, Natural England will work with you to improve your proposal to avoid:
- damage to the site
- getting consent with conditions attached
- refusal of consent
You may need to pay for advice if your proposal is complex. Natural England will tell you if you need this service.
It’s an offence to carry out a listed operation without Natural England’s consent or to ignore the conditions of a consent.
Read the section on getting free or charged advice from Natural England before you apply for consent. This will help you submit your application.
Natural England will acknowledge receipt of your application within 10 working days. See What to include when you request consent.
If your application is straightforward, Natural England will try to give you a decision within 28 working days. Natural England can take up to 4 months to make its decision. It will tell you when you’re likely to get a decision if:
- your case is complex
- it’s going to take longer than 28 working days
If you do not receive a consent decision within 4 months, you should take this as a refusal of consent.
If you need advice quicker than 28 working days, you can pay for the fast-track advice service. This service is subject to Natural England’s discretion.
How to appeal against a decision
You have the right to appeal to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) if:
- Natural England refuses permission for operations
- you disagree with the conditions applied to the consent
- Natural England withdraws or modifies previous consent
- you do not get a consent decision within 4 months
SSSI condition and assessment
Natural England categorises the condition of SSSIs as one of the following:
- favourable - habitats and features are in a healthy state and are being conserved by appropriate management
- unfavourable (recovering condition) - 