Natural England - Previous news

Previous news


2010

  • (6 April) On 1 April 2010 The Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010 came into force. These are now the principal means by which the Habitats Directive is transposed in England and Wales. This updates and consolidates all the amendments to the Regulations since they were first made in 1994. There are few changes that effect licensing and advice (except in the marine environment - see news item below). However, please note that restructuring to make the legislation easier to understand has resulted in alterations to the numbering of the various provisions.

  • (24 March) In February 2010, Natural England ran two stakeholder EPS Focus Group events in Birmingham to encourage developers and ecologists to share their experiences of EPS licensing and suggest ways of improving the process and the service. A summary of the discussions: (451kb)pdf document records the outcomes of the events. It includes stakeholder thoughts on what works well with Natural England licensing and what works less well and possible solutions put forward by the attendees on how the system could be improved. Following the Focus Group event we have hosted a similar event with Natural England licensing staff to develop our ways of working. We will keep customers informed on our progress

  • (12 March) White-nose syndrome in bats. Following the positive identification of G. destructans on a bat in France, the WNS guidance for UK Bat Workers has been revised to include sampling techniques and a revised surveillance form. A copy of the revised guidelines is available on the BCT websiteexternal link. As a precautionary measure, all UK bat workers undertaking hibernation checks are asked to follow the decontamination procedure after each site visit (contained in Appendix IV of BCT’s White-nose Syndrome: Guidelines for Bat workers).

  • (26 January) Revised guidance on over mitigation: (69kb)pdf document has been added to the Natural England Website - Dispelling the myths: providing unnecessary “over-mitigation/compensation” will not help to secure a Natural England European Protected Species mitigation licence.

  • (14 January) A revised Great crested newt method statement has been added to our website - GCN WML-14-2.xls: (689kb)excel spreadsheet.
    The format of the survey section within this method statement template is currently being revised and is likely to be added to the website toward the end of February or beginning of March 2010.  Please always down load the latest version of the method statement template from our licence application pages to ensure the most up to date version is being used.

  • (7 January) European Protected Species Applications
    Due to the adverse weather conditions and resulting staff shortages, there may be some delay in processing of applications. However, Natural England are working as quickly as possible to ensure we meet the needs and expectations of our customers.

2009

  • (20 August) Natural England has produced a statement: (142kb)pdf document welcoming the recent judicial review judgement in Woolley vs Cheshire East Borough Council & Millennium Estates. The judgement clarifies the responsibilities of competent authorities in discharging their duties in relation to European Protected Species.

  • (14 May) EPS Mitigation Licences – Is your licensed activity or development affected by the current economic downturn? Natural England has produced some guidance for developers: (214kb)pdf document.

  • (28 April) It is a myth that applications proposing ‘over-mitigation’ or ‘over compensation’ will stand a better chance of obtaining a Great crested newt mitigation licence. Natural England’s latest guidance: (69kb)pdf document addresses this misconception.