Operational update: COVID-19

In common with most organisations dealing with the effects of coronavirus (COVID-19), Natural England is following government guidance and taking all steps necessary to protect our staff and help prevent the spread of the virus.

We know that many people across the country rely on our services. This includes the advice and guidance we offer, our regulatory work, and helping to maintain the public’s access to nature in a safe and responsible way. We are unfortunately seeing staff absences as a result of illness or caring responsibilities and are therefore having to re-prioritise some of our work.

We are working to ensure we have appropriate contingencies in place to ensure our critical front line services can be maintained at the same time as looking to support Defra and the wider government effort. We are therefore pausing or reprofiling a number of work areas, either because the current coronavirus restrictions mean some work isn’t possible in the short term, or can be reprofiled for later in the year.

We have agreed our highest priority work areas will include our customer enquiries, Wildlife Licensing and Incident Investigation services, SSSI consenting services, Agri-environment work, Planning casework and essential work (including livestock management and health and safety) on our National Nature Reserves (NNRs).

None of the necessary decisions to scale back or pause work are taken easily. A thriving and accessible natural environment will remain vital to the nation during, and as we recover from, the coronavirus crisis and so we will also sustain work that allows to us to progress Government’s key policy ambitions for the environment, such as the 25 YEP, the commitment to move towards net zero and the role of nature in mental and physical health, as well as ensuring that environmental law is maintained through our regulatory activities.

The situation continues to develop and we will continue to publish updates on any changes here.

Update 12 May 2020

On Sunday 10 May, the Prime Minister signalled plans to ease some of the lockdown restrictions. This included more people returning to work, safely, for any work that cannot be done from home and more opportunity for people to use outdoor spaces whilst observing social distancing.

This will, of course, have implications for Natural England, especially for our field work which has until now been limited to essential and emergency work only in line with previous government guidance to work from home. We are now making plans to resume some site management, monitoring visits and work to inspect/protect the natural environment. We will include updates here as to what and how we will begin to do to ensure we and our contractors can now safely undertake such activities, with the safety of our staff, our customers (including land owners) and the public uppermost in our minds.

Our National Nature Reserves have remained open for local communities. National Nature Reserve car parks are currently closed, but we are now working to reopen them where possible. We will update as soon as car parks have been reopened. However, other visitor facilities such as toilets or hides will remain unavailable so people are urged to bear this in mind.

We ask all our visitors to observe the government social distancing rules and follow the updated information on safe travel if coming to our nature reserves (or indeed any green spaces) when the new rules on outdoor visits come into operation on Wednesday (13 May 2020).

Staff

Our staff are all working at home. We have systems in place to allow most of our work to be undertaken remotely. All can still be contacted as usual by email and phone. Meetings and engagements with customers and stakeholders continue but will now be conducted via phone, email or video conferencing.

Offices

As of 24 March 2020 our offices are temporarily closed to staff and visitors. Please do not attend our offices.

Post sent to our offices will not be opened so we would advise you to send correspondence by email to our enquiries team wherever possible.

Customer enquiries

Our customer enquiries service (enquiries@naturalengland.org.uk, Tel: 0300 060 3900) remains open. Given the pressures now on staff we ask you to use the email option in the first instance.

Our regulatory work

Including Sites of Special Scientific Interest consent, wildlife licensing, the Wildlife Incident Investigation Service, planning and marine consents and comments.

Work in all of these areas continues as a top priority business so that we can assist all those people, businesses and groups who need consents and permissions from Natural England. Staff are dealing with case work remotely as far as possible. We will where necessary carry out any essential visits, for example if we need to respond to a report of wildlife crime.

Our development control/planning advice and wildlife licensing functions are particular priorities, Natural England staff working from home are able to receive and respond to consultations/applications electronically. However, as we are seeing staff absences increase, as surveying and monitoring plans are altered and due to the huge demands placed on IT systems at this time there will be situations when we cannot respond to normal deadlines. If necessary we will prioritise consultation responses and licences where the environmental risks are highest and where health and safety is concerned. We also appreciate that our customers and stakeholders are facing similar challenges and will work closely with you to understand what the impacts may be on existing or future Natural England consultation responses, statutory advice and licensing decisions.

More detailed advice, including how best to make contact with NE staff and provide the necessary information is given on our blog.

Site visit and field work

All field work, either undertaken by ourselves or our contractors remains suspended in line with government advice on non-essential travel. This includes work that can be carried out by our staff alone, such as monitoring work as well as that which requires contact with others such as advice on SSSI management.

For advice on managing protected sites or species, such as requests for consent for work on an SSSI, then please contact us as normal (protectedsites@naturalengland.org.uk), and we will advise on next steps, making use of existing data where possible.

The rules about protection of the natural environment are of course unchanged by the coronavirus outbreak, so in exceptional circumstances, for example if there are any concerns that immediate action is required to prevent harm, or where serious breaches of the law are reported that merit immediate investigation, then we may need to make a site visit but will ensure social distancing is observed.

Further advice and guidance is available from the Rural Payments Agency and the Forestry Commission.

Advice to farmers and land managers

We are working with the RPA on making vital payments to the rural community and helping customers submit their claims and applications. Natural England is adapting the way it gives advice to support farmers, land managers and rural businesses during these unprecedented times. Our advisers are able to give advice without always needing to visit, in particular where they have worked with the farmer before.

In order to enable land managers to develop Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship Scheme applications in time for the 1 May application deadline, our staff are able to provide advice remotely (by phone or video call) on applications, so that schemes can be progressed in the absence of a site visit. We are also developing a range of processes looking at how to best use technology including remote sensing, digital solutions and virtual meetings to support Countryside Stewardship 2020 applications.

Natural England will be supporting Mid-Tier applicants through an off-farm advice programme whereby applicants can contact an adviser and book a clinic session. Applicants will receive advice on the options most appropriate to their holding and top tips on ensuring applications are correct.

We will also continue to offer technical advice and support on Catchment Sensitive Farming (CSF) by remote/digital means, including where farmers need to make Countryside Stewardship mid-tier applications.

For grants requiring Catchment Sensitive Farming Officer (CSFO) approval you must contact your local CSFO by 31 May to guarantee help or a visit.

Farmers, land managers and farm advisers all have an essential role in ensuring a healthy natural environment, essential for sustainable farming, is maintained now as always and we look forward to our continued work with you.

Guidance on access to green spaces and Public Rights of Way

The government’s priority is to save lives and the best way to protect yourself and others from illness is to stay at home. However, exercise is still important for people’s physical and mental wellbeing, so the government has said people can leave their homes for exercise once a day. Exercise in greenspace has the added benefit of contact with nature, which we know is good for our well-being. Enjoying nature in our gardens if we are lucky enough to have them can be part of this. Greenspaces such as parks in towns and cities can still be used and the footpaths and other rights of way in rural areas remain open. Please though follow this advice:

• Guidance on using green spaces and protecting yourself and others.
• Guidance on using the Countryside Code.

The risk of the coronavirus being passed on to others from people using public rights of way and other paths and trails is considered to be very low as long as people follow the Government’s instructions to maintain social distancing. But if possible try to avoid using footpaths etc that may take you through a farmstead or other rural business where social distancing may be difficult.

Landowners do not have the legal right to block or obstruct public rights of way. However, in very limited circumstances where large numbers of people are using such routes, landowners may consider the following measures:

• tying gates open if it is safe to do so, so that walkers do not need to touch the gate.
• temporarily displaying polite notices that encourage users to respect local residents and workers by following social distancing guidelines and consider using alternative routes that do not pass through gardens, farmyards or schools.
• offering an alternative route around gardens and farmyards only where it is safe to do so (you must gain permission from relevant landowners and make sure the route is safe for users and livestock) provided that the original right of way is maintained.

All our National Trails remain open including newly opened stretches of England Coast Path, however people must follow the Government’s instructions to maintain social distancing.

National Nature Reserves (NNRs)

Our NNR facilities such as carparks and visitor centres remain closed and we would strongly advise people not to travel to NNRs. Local residents may still use NNRs for exercise as long as they follow the new social distancing guidance. Management work on NNRs is currently limited until further notice to essential tasks that are critical for things such as public safety, animal welfare and water level management.

Working with NGOs

We are aware that many of our colleagues in the environmental and conservation charity sector may be facing financial challenges, along with concerns about maintaining nature sites during this challenging time.

We will of course continue the funding for the important partnership projects we deliver with our non-government organisations (NGOs) colleagues and I am speaking to a number of organisations about how we can work together even more closely to face our common challenges, both now and in the immediate future, to minimise any impact on the natural environment.

We will continue to update this page as necessary with any changes in the situation and our work.

Natural England wishes everyone well during this difficult period. We remain committed to our mission to build partnerships for nature’s recovery, which the nation will need more than ever. I hope that this can bring us all together again in partnership, safely and enthusiastically, very soon.

Marian Spain, Interim Chief Executive