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

  • Small Sites Metric (SSM) Consultation

    This consultation relates to the beta test version of the Small Sites Metric published by Natural England in July 2021. We are seeking feedback about the Small Sites Metric from users and other interested parties that will be used to shape and inform its further development prior to its... More

    Closes 31 January 2022

  • Consultation on proposals to ban commonly littered single-use plastic items in England

    The Government is committed to leaving our environment in a better state than we found it and protecting it for future generations. The 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018, outlines the steps we will take to achieve that, including eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042. ... More

    Closes 12 February 2022

  • Call for evidence on commonly littered and problematic plastic items

    The Government is committed to leaving our environment in a better state than we found it and protecting it for future generations. The 25 Year Environment Plan, published in January 2018, outlines the steps we will take to achieve that, including eliminating avoidable plastic waste by 2042. ... More

    Closes 12 February 2022

  • Open access restriction at Chawley Manor (case numbers 2012026254) (2nd)

    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 23 February 2022

  • Implementing due diligence on forest risk commodities

    We are consulting on the implementation of world-leading due diligence provisions in the Environment Act to help tackle illegal deforestation in UK supply chains. The UK Government introduced these provisions in November 2020 following widespread support to our previous public consultation. ... More

    Closes 11 March 2022

  • Ending the retail sale of peat in horticulture in England and Wales

    We want to know what you think about our proposed measures to end the retail sale of peat in England and Wales. Peatlands are an iconic feature of our landscapes and the UK’s largest stores of carbon. They also provide vital ecosystem services including supplying UK drinking water,... More

    Closes 18 March 2022

  • Consultation on Biodiversity Net Gain Regulations and Implementation

    We want to know what you think about how biodiversity net gain will work in practice. This consultation sets out our proposals and asks questions about how biodiversity net gain will be applied to Town and Country Planning Act development, and, at a higher level, Nationally Significant... More

    Closes 5 April 2022

  • Government response to the Landscapes Review

    Implementing some aspects of our response to the review will require changes to legislation, subject to securing parliamentary time. We are seeking public views on support for these proposed legislative changes, and their potential effects on different groups and interests. We are also interested... More

    Closes 9 April 2022

  • Consultation on the draft Joint Fisheries Statement (Ymgynghoriad ar y Cyd-ddatganiad drafft ar Bysgodfeydd)

    We are seeking your views on the draft Joint Fisheries Statement (JFS). It has been developed by the four UK fisheries policy authorities (the Secretary of State, the Scottish Ministers, the Welsh Ministers, and the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs in Northern... More

    Closes 12 April 2022

See All Open Consultations

Forthcoming Consultations

  • Open Access Restriction at Mount Common (case number 2021089466)

    The Forestry Commission 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

    Opens 27 January 2022

See All Forthcoming 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 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.