51-456: Colne Estuary is a 2915 hectare biological and geological Site of Special Scientific Interest near Brightlingsea in Essex. It is also a Nature Conservation Review site, a National Nature Reserve , a Ramsar wetland site of international importance, a Special Protection Area , a Special Area of Conservation , and a Geological Conservation Review site. Three areas in the site are managed by
102-470: A constraint that was not placed on its predecessor NDPBs. Its powers include defining ancient woodlands , awarding grants, designating Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and Sites of Special Scientific Interest , managing certain national nature reserves , overseeing access to open country and other recreation rights, and enforcing the associated regulations. It is also responsible for the administration of numerous grant schemes and frameworks that finance
153-591: A continuation of the historical management of the land. Where an owner or occupier is unwilling or unable to carry out management, ultimately the conservation body can require it to be done. Public bodies which own or occupy an SSSI have a duty to manage it properly. Site management statements for SSSI in Scotland are available to download from the NatureScot website using the "Sitelink" facility. The law protecting SSSIs now covers everyone, not just public bodies and
204-464: A key part of proposals to regenerate existing urban areas. Natural England is working with partners in the growth areas, growth points and proposed eco-towns to prepare and implement green infrastructure strategies and demonstrate good practice on the ground. Natural England is one of the steering group partners of Neighbourhoods Green , a green Infrastructure partnership initiative which works with social landlords and housing associations to highlight
255-478: A long way upstream of a wetland SSSI might require consultation. Some developments might be neutral or beneficial, even if they are within the SSSI itself – the critical point is whether they harm the interest features. The owners and occupiers of SSSIs are required (Scotland, England, Wales) to obtain consent from the relevant nature conservation body if they want to carry out, cause or permit to be carried out within
306-514: A neutral level. Natural England was challenged in High Court in 2006 by Peter Boggis, a pensioner who protected his house from erosion. Natural England claimed that as the site of Boggis's house, at Easton Bavents north of Southwold on the Suffolk coast was a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the protection went against the scientific community's interests. Natural England lost
357-407: A proposed activity would not affect the interest or is beneficial to it, then the conservation body will issue a "consent" allowing it to be carried out without further consultation. If it would be harmful, the conservation body may issue consent subject to conditions or refuse the application. If consent in writing is not given the operation must not proceed. Conditions may cover any relevant aspect of
408-471: A responsibility to help people enjoy, understand and access the natural environment . Natural England focuses its activities and resources on four strategic outcomes: As a non-departmental public body (NDPB), Natural England is independent of government. However, the Secretary of State for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs has the legal power to issue guidance to Natural England on various matters,
459-428: A site may contain strata containing vertebrate fossils, insect fossils and plant fossils and it may also be of importance for stratigraphy . Geological sites fall into two types, having different conservation priorities: exposure sites, and deposit sites. Exposure sites are where quarries , disused railway cuttings, cliffs or outcrops give access to extensive geological features, such as particular rock layers. If
510-425: A standard list for that country. The ORCs/OLDs are not "banned" activities – the list includes activities which would damage the interest, but also many which might be beneficial. For example, " grazing " (a standard item on the list) would require consent, even on a chalk grassland or heathland where grazing is an essential part of management. In England and Wales the list of OLDs is almost the same for each SSSI – and
561-516: Is governed by published SSSI Selection Guidelines. Within each area, a representative series of the best examples of each significant natural habitat may be notified, and for rarer habitats all examples may be included. Sites of particular significance for various taxonomic groups may be selected (for example birds, dragonflies , butterflies , reptiles, amphibians , etc.)—each of these groups has its own set of selection guidelines. Conservation of biological SSSI/ASSIs usually involves continuation of
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#1732780550066612-583: Is important for saltmarsh morphology . There are important geological exposures for Pleistocene studies at East Mersea; investigation is at an early stage, but they show warm climate deposits from one or more post- Anglian interglacials . 51°48′36″N 0°58′44″E / 51.810°N 0.979°E / 51.810; 0.979 Site of Special Scientific Interest A site of special scientific interest ( SSSI ) in Great Britain , or an area of special scientific interest ( ASSI ) in
663-420: Is not necessarily absolute—generally it requires the SSSI interest to be considered properly against other factors. Local planning authorities are required to have policies in their development plans which protect SSSIs. They are then required to consult the appropriate conservation body over planning applications which might affect the interest of an SSSI (such a development might not be within or even close to
714-441: Is often pronounced "triple-S I". Sites notified for their biological interest are known as Biological SSSIs (or ASSIs), and those notified for geological or physiographic interest are Geological SSSIs (or ASSIs). Sites may be divided into management units, with some areas including units that are noted for both biological and geological interest. Biological SSSI/ASSIs may be selected for various reasons, which for Great Britain
765-507: Is responsible for the delivery of some of Defra's public service agreements (e.g. reversing the long-term decline in the number of farmland birds by 2020 and improving public access to the countryside). Natural England takes its finance, human resources and estates services from the Defra Shared Services organisation. Information technology services are outsourced to IBM. Natural England was established on 1 October 2006 by
816-676: The Essex Wildlife Trust , Colne Point , Fingringhoe Wick and Howlands Marsh . The site has varied habitats, such as saltmarsh, mud flats, shingle spits and former gravel pits. It is of international importance for wintering brent geese and black-tailed godwits , and of national importance for six other bird species, including little terns . It also has important assemblages of invertebrates and plants, such as golden samphire and shrubby seablite . A peat seam in St Osyph Marsh has been dated to 4280 BP , and this marsh
867-658: The Isle of Man and Northern Ireland , is a conservation designation denoting a protected area in the United Kingdom and Isle of Man . SSSI/ASSIs are the basic building block of site-based nature conservation legislation and most other legal nature/geological conservation designations in the United Kingdom are based upon them, including national nature reserves , Ramsar sites , Special Protection Areas , and Special Areas of Conservation . The acronym "SSSI"
918-453: The Marine and Coastal Access Act 2010 ). Access to SSSIs is the same as for the rest of the countryside of the relevant country. Most SSSIs/ASSIs are in private ownership and form parts of working farms, forests and estates. In Scotland, people may use their rights of responsible access to visit SSSIs. When designating an SSSI/ASSI, the relevant nature conservation body must formally notify
969-983: The National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 , but the current legal framework for SSSIs is provided in England and Wales by the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , amended in 1985 and further substantially amended in 2000 (by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 ), in Scotland by the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004 and in Northern Ireland by the Nature Conservation and Amenity Lands (Northern Ireland) Order 1985 . SSSIs are also covered under
1020-692: The Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006 , which implemented the recommendations of a rural review by The Baron Haskins of Skidby . It was formed by the amalgamation of three founder bodies: It received the powers of the founder bodies. In 2008, Sir Martin Doughty , the Chairman of Natural England, warned the Prime Minister of the potential danger of genetically modified crops . However, in 2012, Poul Christensen, CBE,
1071-570: The Water Resources Act 1991 and related legislation. An SSSI may be made on any area of land which is considered to be of special interest by virtue of its fauna , flora , geological or physiographical / geomorphological features. SSSI notification can cover any "land" within the area of the relevant nature conservation body, including dry land, land covered by fresh water . The extent to which an SSSI/ASSI may extend seawards differs between countries. In Scotland an SSSI may include
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#17327805500661122-563: The ORC lists for each SSSI and removed those activities that were unlikely to happen and if they were to would be unlikely to damage the protected natural features, and other activities adequately regulated by other statutory regimes. The intention of this was to remove the need for owners and occupiers to obtain SSSI consent as well as licences/ permits from other authorities (who must consult NatureScot prior to determining such applications). Purely geological SSSIs often have much shorter OLD lists. If
1173-607: The SSSI Register, hosted by The Registers of Scotland . Further information about SSSIs in Scotland is available on the NatureScot website. The decision to notify an SSSI is made by the relevant nature conservation body (the appropriate conservation body ) for that part of the United Kingdom: Northern Ireland Environment Agency , Natural England , NatureScot or Natural Resources Wales . SSSIs were originally set up by
1224-414: The SSSI any of the activities listed in the notification. Formerly these activities were called 'potentially damaging operations' or PDOs. Under the current legal arrangements they are called 'operations requiring consent' or ORCs (Scotland), or 'operations likely to damage the SSSI interest' or OLDs (England & Wales). The list of ORCs/OLDs for each SSSI is unique to that site – though all are derived from
1275-402: The SSSI itself). The effect of this is to prevent development which harms the interest – except where the value of that interest is over-ridden by some more important factor, for example a requirement for a major road or port or oil pipe. The requirement for consultation covers any development which might affect the interest, not just developments within the SSSI itself – for example, a development
1326-458: The case in 2009, when Mr. Justice Blair, the brother of the former Prime Minister, ruled that Mr. Boggis' "human predicament" was more important than the site's SSSI status. Natural England won the subsequent appeal in October 2009. On 23 April 2019, Natural England (NE) announced that it was revoking three general licences in England for controlling certain wild birds using firearms. The removal
1377-867: The designating authority is NatureScot ; the role in Wales is performed by Natural Resources Wales (formerly the Countryside Council for Wales ). In the Isle of Man the role is performed by the Department of Environment, Food and Agriculture . Geological SSSI/ASSIs are selected by a different mechanism to biological ones, with a minimalistic system selecting one site for each geological feature in Great Britain. Academic geological specialists have reviewed geological literature, selecting sites within Great Britain of at least national importance for each of
1428-602: The development and conservation of the natural environment, for example environmental stewardship , the Countryside Stewardship Scheme , environmentally sensitive areas , and the Access to Nature Scheme. It has been severely criticised recently by badger protection lobbyists for allegedly ignoring scientific data and granting extended badger cull licences to DEFRA. Natural England's latest corporate plan sets out its goals and detailed objectives. It
1479-560: The duration of these pay restraints and issues including equality and disparity between Public body pay increases. The following take from 2 December 2020 Research briefing on Public body pay. "In 2010, the Coalition Government announced a two-year pay freeze from 2011/12. Following cuts to local government funding, local government workers were subject to a three-year pay freeze. From 2013/14 to 2017/18 public sector pay awards were capped at an average of 1%. This policy
1530-461: The exposure becomes obscured, the feature could in principle be re-exposed elsewhere. Conservation of these sites usually concentrates on maintenance of access for future study. Deposit sites are features which are limited in extent or physically delicate—for example, they include small lenses of sediment , mine tailings , caves and other landforms . If such features become damaged they cannot be recreated, and conservation usually involves protecting
1581-507: The feature from erosion or other damage. Following devolution, legal arrangements for SSSIs (Scotland, England, Wales) and ASSIs (Northern Ireland) differ between the countries of the UK. The Isle of Man ASSI system is a separate entity. NatureScot publishes a summary of the SSSI arrangements for SSSI owners and occupiers (other than public bodies) which can be downloaded from its website. Legal documents for all SSSIs in Scotland are available on
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1632-418: The importance of, and raise the overall quality of, design and management for open and green space in social housing. In 2019 and 2020, NE noted that housing development could adversely affect the environment in some rivers as sewage outputs would increase levels of nutrients , specifically nitrogen and phosphorus. NE advised that development should only proceed in these areas where this could be mitigated to
1683-405: The interest), but not illegal trail biking. This loophole was closed by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and section 19 of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004. Funding for the monitoring of SSSIs in England has been cut from £1.58 million in 2010 to £700,000 in 2018, causing concern that many have not been inspected over the last six years, as required by guidelines. Since
1734-473: The interested parties and allow a period for them to make representations before confirming the notification. When creating a new SSSI/ASSI the designation has legal effect from the date of notification. The interested parties include central government, local planning authorities , national park authorities, all the owners and occupiers of the land, relevant public bodies such as the utility providers e.g., water companies . In Scotland, NatureScot must also notify
1785-469: The intertidal land down to mean low water spring or to the extent of the local planning authority area, thus only limited areas of estuaries and coastal waters beyond MLWS may be included. In England, Natural England may notify an SSSI over estuarial waters and further adjacent waters in certain circumstances (section 28(1A & 1B) of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 as amended by Part 2 of Annex 13 of
1836-402: The list for an SSSI will only omit activities impossible on the particular SSSI (such as fishing where there is no water), and things requiring planning permission (which are covered by the local planning authority consultation process). In Scotland, and following the implementation of the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, Scottish Natural Heritage (the former name for NatureScot) reviewed
1887-531: The most important features within each geological topic (or block ). Each of these sites is described, with most published in the Geological Conservation Review series, and so becomes a GCR site . Almost all GCR sites (but no other sites) are subsequently notified as geological SSSIs, except some that coincide with designated biological SSSI management units. A GCR site may contain features from several different topic blocks, for example
1938-400: The natural and artificial processes which resulted in their development and survival, for example the continued traditional grazing of heathland or chalk grassland . In England, the designating body for SSSIs, Natural England , selects biological SSSIs from within natural areas which are areas with particular landscape and ecological characteristics, or on a county basis. In Scotland,
1989-1003: The new Act, often with boundary changes. This complex process took some ten years to complete for the several thousand SSSIs. For the purposes of selecting the original tranche of SSSIs, Natural England's predecessors (the Nature Conservancy, the Nature Conservancy Council and English Nature ) used a system termed "areas of search" (AOSs). In England these were largely based on the 1974–1996 administrative counties (with larger counties divided into two or more areas), whereas in Scotland and Wales they are based around districts. The individual AOSs are between 400 km (150 sq mi) and 4,000 km (1,500 sq mi) in size. There were 59 AOSs in England, 12 in Wales, and 44 in Scotland. Watsonian vice-counties were formerly used for selection over
2040-501: The next Chairman of Natural England, said that middle England should embrace new technologies like GM crops as long as there were adequate testing and safeguards. As a Public Body Natural England has been subject to pay Freezes and pay restrictions following the 2008 financial crash, and is likely to be subject to the 2020 three year pay freeze also. Natural England staff have now been subject to pay freezes and 1% pay increases. Staff and Unions representing staff have voiced concerns over
2091-399: The notification is then confirmed or withdrawn (in whole or part). At the time of the passing of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 , many SSSIs were already in existence, having been notified over the previous decades under the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949 . Each of these was considered in turn, and either denotified, or renotified —brought under the provisions of
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2142-447: The owners and occupiers of SSSIs. Previously, activities by "third parties" were not illegal under the SSSI legislation. This meant that damaging activities such as fly-tipping , intensive bait-digging or trail biking on an SSSI were only prevented if done (or permitted) by the owner or occupier – not if done by trespassers or under public rights. The effect was, for example, to allow control of legal trail biking on SSSIs (where damaging to
2193-517: The proposed operation and may, for example, limit its timing, location or intensity. The process is slightly different where the owner or occupier is a public body, but the effect is broadly similar. The relevant nature conservation body sends all SSSI owners and occupiers a site-specific 'site management statement' describing the ideal management (there may be grants available to help fund management). Owners and occupiers are encouraged to carry out this management, which in many (but not all) cases will be
2244-572: The referendum to leave the EU in 2016, more than 450 staff have been transferred to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). Neglected areas include Exmoor , the Lake District , the Pennines , and The Wash . The process of designating a site as of Special Scientific Interest is called notification; this is followed by consultation with the site's owners and occupiers, and
2295-565: The relevant community councils and community group having registered an interest in the land. The notification includes a description of the land and the natural features for which it is notified ("the citation"), a boundary map, and a list of the acts or omissions (activities) that the nature conservation body regulates through the issue of consents. The various laws protect the interest features of SSSIs from development, from other damage, and (since 2000 in England) also from neglect. Protection
2346-603: The staff who came from original bodies which vested to Natural England - The Rural Development Service, English Nature and the Countryside Agency. On this matter, and the pay freeze and pay reductions over 10 years Unions representing Natural England staff have threatened strike action. In May 2008, Natural England published a report, State of the Natural Environment , which brought together statistics and facts about England's environment. The report
2397-410: The whole of Great Britain. Natural England Natural England is a non-departmental public body in the United Kingdom sponsored by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs . It is responsible for ensuring that England 's natural environment, including its land, flora and fauna , freshwater and marine environments , geology and soils, are protected and improved. It also has
2448-399: Was intended to be used by environmental organisations as a benchmark and source for policy development. It complements reports on different topics produced by other organisations: Natural England funded eight pilot green exercise projects through local regional partnerships. These projects increased levels of physical activity and people's connections to their local green spaces. However, it
2499-589: Was lifted in 2017 and from 2018/19 to 2020/21 the parts of the public sector that are covered by the PRBs received pay rises above 2%. The Trades Union Congress has criticised the constraints that were in place from 2010, arguing that they led to a "decade of lost pay". The severity of the cuts by the Conservative government to Natural England in particular have been reported in the media including The Guardian newspaper. There also exists pay disparities between
2550-401: Was not clear whether these projects really changed people's long-term attitudes. Natural England is promoting the concept of green infrastructure as a way to deliver a wide range of benefits for people and the natural environment together. It believes that green infrastructure should be delivered via the spatial planning system, as an integral part of new development everywhere, and also form
2601-503: Was without consultation or communication. These licences covered 16 species of birds including several species of crow, gull and pigeon, along with non-native species such as Canada goose and sacred ibis . Natural England took the decision following a legal challenge by the environmental group Wild Justice which questioned the legality of the general licences. This rendered farmers temporarily unable to kill these species without applying for individual licences. On 26 April 2019 NE issued
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