Natural England has begun a phased roll-out of charges for European Protected Species licences. This service has been introduced to deal with protected species licence submission assessments, returns and renewals.
This process is being rolled out in multiple stages and began on 1st April with Dormouse mitigation licences. The next proposed date for introduction is for bat licences with charges applying as of Monday 22nd April 2019.
Charges for badger licences are provisionally scheduled for May with great crested newt licences and other species to be implemented later in the year.
Bat Licence Charges – What it Means for our Clients
All licence applications submitted on or after Monday April 22nd 2019 will be subject to charges.
This includes charges to:
- Bat EPS mitigation licences (affecting most of our clients)
- Bat Mitigation Class Licence site registration (previously known as Bat Low Impact Class Licence)
New Charges for Bat EPS Mitigation Licences
The complexity of the licence application will determine whether the charge will be fixed or variable (based on an hourly rate). The criteria determining the complexity of an application are detailed in a screening form which are agreed with Natural England in the early stages.
- A straightforward bat EPS mitigation licence will be charged at a fixed rate of £500.
- For a more complex application, there will be a variable charge based on an hourly rate of £101 with an additional charge of £183 towards the cost of compliance monitoring.
New charges for Bat Mitigation Class Licence site registration (Low Impact Class Licence)
The bat mitigation class licence site registration will be charged at a fixed price of £130.
We will be able to advise you on which licence category your application is likely to fall into and are continuing with our service of preparing licence applications on behalf of our clients.
Our expert bat consultants are experienced in putting together clear, concise applications and can help avoid any unnecessary additional fees for extended assessment time.
What does this mean for my project?
Get in touch with our experienced licenced bat ecologists who can advise you on the types of licence, how they apply and any potential charges to your project.
Changes to other species
- Hazel Dormouse, 1st April 2019 – Non-complex applications at £690, complex applications at £101 per hour of assessment time plus a compliance charge (relating to checks for compliance with the licence) of £183.
Natural England has also proposed the following changes to licenses for these protected species:
- Badger May 2019 – Non-complex applications – £260, complex applications – £101 per hour of assessment plus a £61 compliance charge.
- Badger low impact licence – £160.
Contact us for advice
We have four offices across England and hold mitigation licences for all protected species. We also have in-house ecologists who are Registered Consultants on the Bat Mitigation Class Licence, Badger Class Licence and Great Crested Newt Class Licence (low impact) schemes.
For advice on protected species licences and revised charges please speak to your local office who will be able to advise you on your project.