In August, Natural England was awarded the Cabinet Office Customer Service Excellence Standard. The standard tests an organisation against 57 components, with a particular focus on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism, staff attitudes and customer insight.
Natural England is a statutory consultee on environmental assessment processes and many development proposals, including that of Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects and the transport network. It is also a statutory consultee on Development Plans, Local Development Frameworks, Neighbourhood Development Plans and Orders and Community Right to Build Orders.
The agency has recently introduced new and improved services to provide non-statutory advice related to planning proposals, supported by the introduction of charges.
The service aims to give developers the chance to tap into the expertise of case officers and wildlife advisers who will be able to highlight potential environmental impacts at an early stage and provide advice on possible solutions, potentially saving time and money in the planning process while also securing good outcomes for the natural environment.
Pre-application advice for planning proposals
Known as the Discretionary Advice Service (DAS), it is geared towards cases with the potential for significant impact on protected sites, landscapes and species, or which could bring environmental gain. An initial level of advice is offered free of charge to help identify key issues and opportunities on a development proposal. The customer would then have the option of paying for further access to Natural England’s expert advice to help in the development of their proposals.
Pre-submission screening service for wildlife licence applications
A large number of developments involve the need to obtain a licence to disturb protected species such as bats. Normally this can only happen once planning permission has been granted, which can cause uncertainty and delay for the developer. However, Natural England offers a new chargeable screening service for European Protected Species mitigation licence applications, enabling the customer to find out at an earlier stage whether their plans are likely to meet licensing requirements.
The advice provided by Natural England is in line with Government policy and legislation. Its role is to provide advice, but it is the responsibility of the relevant decision-maker to consider the advice when reaching a decision.