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

See All Open Consultations

Closed Consultations

  • A Plant Biosecurity Strategy for Great Britain

    This consultation has been launched by the governments of England, Scotland and Wales to inform Great Britain’s (GB) approach to plant biosecurity over the next five years. Your response will help inform the new GB Plant Biosecurity Strategy that will be published in 2022. More

    Closed 30 November 2021

  • UK Marine Strategy Part Three: Programme of Measures

    Defra, the Northern Ireland Executive, the Scottish Government and the Welsh Government are seeking views on the updated programme of measures for the UK’s seas for each of the UK Marine Strategy descriptors. The UK Marine Strategy Regulations 2010 require the UK to take the necessary... More

    Closed 29 November 2021

  • Northern Ireland Directorate (NID) Mandatory Training Form

    This is to enable and ensure that NID colleagues, have a good opportunity to grow their knowledge base, and improve their job skills to become more effective in the workplace. More

    Closed 23 November 2021

  • Call for Evidence on future management of Sandeels and Norway pout

    The UK Marine Strategy and the Fisheries Act 2020 highlight the importance of taking an ecosystem-based approach to the management of fisheries and the wider marine environment. Forage fish such as sandeels and Norway pout play a key role in the health of the wider marine ecosystem,... More

    Closed 19 November 2021

  • Open access restriction at Cheriton Wood (case number 2006040060) (2)

    South Downs National Park Authority 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... More

    Closed 19 November 2021

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 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.

We asked

Natural England consulted with owners, occupiers and interested parties on the notification of Pinkworthy and Driver Farm Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on 7 January 2021.

You said

No objections have been received relating to Pinkworthy and Driver Farm SSSI notification under Section 28 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. 

There have been two representations of support received to the notification, one from RSPB and one from Citizen Space.  

We did

Natural England confirmed the notification of Pinkworthy and Driver Farm SSSI on 2 July 2021 without modification.