Natural England and the West Pennine Moors Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) designation project

Natural England is the government’s advisor on the natural environment.  We advise Government about wildlife, landscape and access issues. We are part of the DEFRA family along with the Environment Agency and Forestry Commission.

Natural England has a number of statutory duties, which includes safeguarding areas where the wildlife and geology are special. This process helps to ensure that any proposals properly consider the special plants and animals which live in this area and safeguards the wildlife interests of the land for the benefit of future generations.

Natural England and its predecessor bodies have been able to safeguard important wildlife sites since 1949 by designating them as SSSIs. There are currently more than 4100 SSSIs in England which cover about 8% of the land area.

Natural England has a notification strategy which enables us to identify areas for potential SSSIs and to programme the work around the available staff. We are currently looking at West Pennine Moors as a potential new site.

The process of notification is quite complex and involves many interlinking steps and this information is available on our website via the links above.

Please contact Natural England for further details:
Telephone: 0845 600 3078 (local rate)*
Email: enquiries [at] naturalengland [dot] org [dot] uk
Opening times: 8.30–17:00, Monday–Friday
(Please note: Within these hours an answer phone service may be provided at times. Be prepared to leave a message. We will get back to you as soon as possible.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Why is Natural England looking at the West Pennine Moors (WPM)?

We are trying to find out if the wildlife of the WPM is of special interest and whether it should be specially protected for its mix of plants and animals.

We are not looking at the whole of the WPM. Natural England is looking to see if parts of the area meet the selection guidelines to become a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).

How will Natural England know if the WPM is suitable?

We have commissioned a survey to look at the plants found  there and particularly  the areas of bog. Our survey will discover what mix of plants are in the WPM and compare that with a set of guidelines provided by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC) in the Guidelines for selection of Biological SSSIs.

We are also looking at the number of different and interesting bird species which breed here, and compare this with guidelines provided by the JNCC.

Waxcap (a rare type of fungi) grasslands are also found just below the bog. To meet the guidelines for selection there would have to be congregations of more than 12 different species of this type of fungi.

What does this mean for me?

Natural England has been in contact with many of the owners and occupiers of land within the area of study to ask permission to undertake the survey, which has now begun.

Whilst we are in this fact finding stage nothing will change for visitors, owners or occupiers. All the background work will be undertaken by Natural England or our contractors.

How long will it take before the WPM becomes an SSSI?

It is not a foregone conclusion that the site will meet the guidelines, but if the site (or part of it) is considered by Natural England to be of special interest, the land could be formally notified as a SSSI in the spring of 2013.

The notification would trigger a consultation process with all owners, occupiers and interested parties.  The deadline for submitting objections, support or other representations would be 4 months after the date the site became a SSSI.

Natural England staff would then seek to resolve any concerns prior to a meeting (probably autumn 2013) of the Board of Natural England (in public) to consider any outstanding objections.  The Board would consider whether or not to confirm the SSSI notification, with or without modification.  

Were the notification to be confirmed, the land would continue to be designated as a SSSI.  If not, the SSSI notification would cease to have effect, either because it had been withdrawn by Natural England or because it had not been confirmed within 9 months (a deadline set in the legislation) and had therefore lapsed.

Can I still walk my dog?

Yes - If you walk your dogs on public rights of way the access rights will not change even if the area is notified as an SSSI.

Natural England will also undertake an access review if the site is notified. We will look at the use of any areas which have been dedicated under ‘Open Access’ legislation. We will consider the impacts of open access on the SSSI and may put in place restrictions such as dogs on leads.

Any new access proposals will be subject to additional checks to make sure that they don’t have a negative impact on the important plants and animals.

Will I still have access on my mountain bike?

Yes –you will continue to be able to use any public rights of way open to bicycles. If you are accessing land through agreements with land owners these may have to be reviewed in the light of their impacts on the SSSI.  Any new initiatives put forward after notification will be subject to additional checks.

I am a farmer and I am worried that this is going to affect my business – what does this mean for me?

In many cases, the special wildlife on the land will have been supported, at least in part; by the way you have been managing and looking after it for many years. Please take a look at our website, but in general, if the management that you currently undertake supports the habitats and species for which the site is designated you are likely to be able to continue as before, and you may be eligible to apply for financial support to continue or introduce positive management (see below).

Prior to any decision to designate the land as an SSSI, Natural England staff will offer to come out and meet with land owners and land managers and discuss the current management regime and discuss/ advise whether it may need to change. For example if you summer graze your land this may be able to continue but perhaps the stocking rates may need to change.

If I want to talk to someone about this process or get someone to come and talk to my group what do I do?

Please contact Natural England:
Telephone: 0845 600 3078 (local rate)*
Email: enquiries [at] naturalengland [dot] org [dot] uk
Opening times: 8.30–17:00, Monday–Friday
(Please note: Within these hours an answer phone service may be provided at times. Be prepared to leave a message. We will get back to you as soon as possible.)

Why has there been nothing about this in the local press?

At the moment Natural England is collecting information and producing an internal report for a meeting of their Executive Board in early 2013.

Once the Executive Board has met and made a decision as to whether the WPM is of special scientific interest there will be an intensive public consultation with information available on our Website or directly by post. If you are not an owner or occupier but would like to receive the consultation papers please email us with your details and we will ensure that you receive the pack, enquiries [at] naturalengland [dot] org [dot] uk

I want to build a wind turbine on my land – will this proposal affect my planning application?

If your application is considered prior to the notification of the land as an SSSI then there is no legal requirement for planning authorities to take this proposal into account when making a decision, but they can if they wish. If your wind turbine application was submitted to the planning authority after the land was notified as an SSSI then additional checks would need to be made to ensure that there is no damage to the features being protected within the SSSI.

Will I be entitled to any help to manage my land for Wildlife?

Natural England has a variety of ways to help you manage the land. We have schemes such as Higher Level Stewardship (HLS) and Countryside Enhancement Scheme (CES) to help with the cost of undertaking work. You can apply for these schemes through Natural England.

We can also provide advice on how to manage the land to benefit wildlife.