Consultation outcome on Wildlife licensing (UK)

Consultation outcome on Wildlife licensing: comment on new policies for European protected species licences

The Natural England and Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs have published on 12th January 2017 the outcome report for full details of the proposed new policies for European protected species licensing. The report shows where proposals were changed as a response to public feedback.

The original consultation was seeking views on whether 4 new policies could be permitted under licence to benefit European protected species whilst improving flexibility for development.

European protected species are protected by the Habitats Directive so that it’s an offence to capture, kill, injure or disturb them or their habitat without a licence from Natural England.

The Policies are the following:

• To allow greater flexibility on decisions to exclude or relocate EPS from development sites.
• To allow greater flexibility on the location of newly created habitats that compensate for habitats that will be lost.
• To allow EPS to have access to temporary habitats that will be developed at a later date.
• To allow appropriate and relevant surveys to be carried out where the impacts of development can be confidently predicted.

The 4 new policies could:

• have a net benefit for EPS by:
  • improving populations overall and not just protecting individual species within development sites
• reduce cost and delay to developers in the way they:
  • carry out surveys
  • exclude wildlife from development sites
  • trap or move wildlife

For further details consult the outcome full report.

Sources:

Consultation outcome – Wildlife licensing: comment on new policies for European protected species licences, published on the Government webpage.