Consultation Hub

The site lists consultations that are run by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs. On this site you can find, share or take part in consultations. Public participation is very important to the development of our policies so please have your say.

Open Consultations

  • Call for evidence – MMO assessment of fishing activity impacts in marine protected areas – Stage 2

    The Marine Management Organisation (MMO) is seeking additional evidence and views on our draft MPA fisheries assessment of the impacts of fishing using bottom towed gear on certain designated features of 13 marine protected areas (MPAs). MMO manages activities in the 230,000 square... More

    Closes 10 July 2022

  • Open access restriction at Dunwich Heath (case number 2007020106)

    Natural England is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common... More

    Closes 9 August 2022

  • Open access restriction at Walberswick Common, Tinkers Walk & East Sheeps Walk, Newdelight Walks (case number 2007020109)

    Natural England is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common... More

    Closes 9 August 2022

  • Open access restriction at Brick Kiln Walks (case number 2007020104)

    Natural England is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common... More

    Closes 9 August 2022

  • Open access restriction at Westleton Heath (case number 2007020105)

    Natural England is seeking views on proposals that will restrict public access to open access land at this site. The Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 (CROW Act) gives a public right of access to land mapped as ‘open country’ (mountain, moor, heath and down) or registered common... More

    Closes 9 August 2022

  • UK REACH Authorisation List: disodium octaborate

    We are seeking evidence on the use of disodium octaborate in Great Britain and the potential impact that adding disodium octaborate to the UK REACH Authorisation List could have. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provided a recommendation to the Defra Secretary of State... More

    Closes 12 August 2022

  • UK REACH Authorisation List: dicyclohexyl phthalate

    We are seeking evidence on the use of dicyclohexyl phthalate in Great Britain and the potential impact that adding dicyclohexyl phthalate to the UK REACH Authorisation List could have. The Health and Safety Executive (HSE) provided a recommendation to the... More

    Closes 12 August 2022

  • Consultation on the Principles of Marine Net Gain

    The Government’s response to the 2018 terrestrial Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG) consultation confirmed the intention to develop and consult on an appropriate regime for the marine environment which builds on commitments in Defra’s 25 Year Environment Plan. Broadly speaking,... More

    Closes 30 August 2022

  • Seeking views on possible changes to public sector food and catering policy.

    Government is adopting an ambitious and transformational approach to public sector food and catering. We are determined to use public sector purchasing power to ensure positive change in the food system. Our vision is that public sector food and catering is an exemplar to wider society in... More

    Closes 4 September 2022

See All Open Consultations

Closed Consultations

See All Closed Consultations

We Asked, You Said, We Did

Here are some of the issues we have consulted on and their outcomes. See all outcomes

We asked

Natural England consulted with owners, occupiers and interested parties on the notification of Dearne Valley Wetlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 13 May 2021.

Consultations closed on 13 September 2021.

You said

Following consideration of representations and objections at its meeting on 19 January 2022, the Board of Natural England approved the confirmation of the notification of the Dearne Valley Wetlands SSSI with modifications to the description of the special interest (area figure amendment) and boundary map. Natural England consulted with owners, occupiers and interested parties on the notification of Dearne Valley Wetlands Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 13 May 2021.

Consultations closed on 13 September 2021.

We did

Natural England confirmed Dearne Valley Wetlands SSSI under section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on 4 February 2022.

In accordance with Natural England’s policy on freedom of information, details of the Board’s decision will be available on Natural England’s website in due course: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england/about/our-governance.

If you have any questions or require further information, please email ProtectedSites@naturalengland.org.uk.

We asked

Natural England consulted with owners, occupiers and interested parties on the notification of Swanscombe Peninsula Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 11 March 2021.

Consultations closed on 12 July 2021.

You said

Following consideration of representations and objections at its meeting on 10 November 2021, the Board of Natural England approved the confirmation of the notification of the Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI with modifications to the description of the special interest (area figure amendment), boundary map and Views about Management (VAM).

We did

Natural England confirmed Swanscombe Peninsula SSSI under section 28C of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on 19 November 2021.

In accordance with Natural England’s policy on freedom of information, details of the Board’s decision will be available on Natural England’s website in due course: https://www.gov.uk/government/organisations/natural-england/about/our-governance.

If you have any questions or require further information, please email ProtectedSites@naturalengland.org.uk.

We asked

Natural England consulted with owners, occupiers and interested parties on the notification of Cotswold Water Park Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 7 January 2021 and the proposal to de-notify parts of the previously notified Cotswold Water Park SSSI that are not considered to be of special interest.

Consultations closed on 7 June 2021.

You said

Following consideration of representations and objections at its meeting on 15 September and resumed meeting of 29 September 2021, the Board of Natural England approved the confirmation of the notification of the Cotswold Water Park SSSI with modifications to the description of the special interest (area figure amendment and the addition of little grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis  to the citation), boundary map and Views about Management (VAM).

No representations or objections were received to the proposal dated 7 January 2021 to remove the SSSI notification (known as ‘de-notification’) from parts of the previously notified Cotswold Water Park SSSI that are not considered to be of special interest.  The proposed denotification has been confirmed without modification. The denotified land (as shown on the maps that formed part of the notification document of 7 January 2021 is no longer subject to the effects of notification as an SSSI.

We did

Natural England confirmed the enlarged Cotswold Water Park SSSI under section 28C of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and
de-notified the areas no longer of Special Scientific Interest under section 28D of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 on 1 October 2021.