Natural England's latest corporate plan sets out its goals and detailed objectives.[6]
Natural England derives its finance, human resources and estates services from the Defra Shared Services organisation.[7] Information technology services are outsourced to IBM.[8]
Natural England joined the 10:10 project in 2009 in a bid to reduce its own carbon footprint.[9]
In 2008, Sir Martin Doughty, the Chairman of Natural England, issued a warning to the Prime Minister concerning the potential dangers of genetically modified crops.[10] However, in 2012, Poul Christensen, CBE, the next Chairman of Natural England, said that middle England should embrace new technologies like GM crops as long as there were adequate testing and safeguards.[11]
Following the 2008 financial crash, as a public body, Natural England has been subject to a series of pay freezes and restrictions. The organisation was subject to the 2020 three-year pay freeze, which will affect Natural England staff, who have now experienced pay freezes and one per cent pay increases. Staff and Unions representing staff have expressed concerns regarding the duration of these pay restraints and issues including equality and disparity between Public body pay increases.[12]
There also exists pay disparities between the staff who came from original bodies which vested to Natural England - The Rural Development Service, English Nature and the Countryside Agency. On this matter, and the pay freeze and pay reductions over 10 years Unions representing Natural England staff have threatened strike action.[12][13]
In 2023 Natural England opposed its own planning application for a development on The Lizard peninsula in Cornwall.[14][15]
Activities
State of the Natural Environment
In May 2008, Natural England published a report, State of the Natural Environment, which brought together statistics and facts about England's environment. The report was intended to be used by environmental organisations as a benchmark and source for policy development. It complements reports on different topics produced by other organisations:[16]
Natural England funded eight pilot green exercise projects through local regional partnerships. These projects increased levels of physical activity and people's connections to their local green spaces. However, it was not clear whether these projects really changed people's long-term attitudes.[17]
Green infrastructure
Natural England is promoting the concept of green infrastructure as a way of delivering a wide range of benefits for people and the natural environment together. It believes that green infrastructure should be delivered through the spatial planning system, as an integral part of new development everywhere, and also form a key part of proposals to regenerate existing urban areas.[18]
Natural England is one of the steering group partners of Neighbourhoods Green, a green Infrastructure partnership initiative working with social landlords and housing associations to highlight the importance of open and green space in social housing and to improve the overall quality of design and management.[19]
Nutrient neutrality
In 2019 and 2020, NE found that housing development could have a negative impact on the environment in some rivers as sewage discharges would increase levels of nutrients, particularly nitrogen and phosphorus.[20][21]
Legal challenge
Natural England was challenged in the High Court in 2006 by Peter Boggis, a pensioner who was protecting his house from erosion. Natural England claimed that as the site of Boggis's house, at Easton Bavents north of Southwold on the Suffolk coast was a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), the protection went against the interests of the scientific community. Natural England lost the case in 2009, when Mr. Justice Blair, the brother of the former Prime Minister, ruled that Mr. Boggis' "human predicament" was more important than the site's SSSI status. Natural England won the subsequent appeal in October 2009.[22]
Removal of the General Licence
On 23 April 2019, Natural England (NE) announced that it was revoking three general licences in England for the control of certain wild birds using firearms. The revocation was made without consultation or communication. These licences covered 16 species of birds including several species of crow, gull and pigeon, as well as with non-native species such as Canada goose and sacred ibis.[23] Natural England made the decision following a legal challenge by the environmental group Wild Justice which questioned the legality of the general licences. As a result, farmers were temporarily unable to kill these species without applying for individual licences.[24][25]
On 26 April 2019 NE issued the first of a series of replacement licences, covering the killing of carrion crows, and announced its intention to issue further licences in the coming weeks.[26]
At NE's request, the Environment Secretary Michael Gove took over responsibility for the general licences from Natural England on 4 May 2019.[27][28]
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