farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Our site of special scientific interest has seen very little scientific interest
SFI SSSi consent from Natural England
- Thread starter Try to succeed
- Start date
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
So told RPA land is not SSSI and they don’t need to wait for consent. Reply from RPA, NE have confirmed receiving my consent form, so just be patient 
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
So told RPA land is not SSSI and they don’t need to wait for consent. Reply from RPA, NE have confirmed receiving my consent form, so just be patient
I don't have a phone line direct to higher ups in RPA (I just spend hours waiting on the telephone to RPA helpine - be better if they used the Blondie track, but that is for another day) Ben Adams can you find out if RPA has changed policy. I had a client submit a SFI application 28 December which in mid January triggered the SSSI warning email. After a phone call to RPA and a consent email to NE all the RPA staff member required was the NE confirmation of receipt of consent application forwarding and the next day the AFI agreement was released. Subsequently accepted and started Feb 1st. So I have been taken aback with the RPA approach to SFI application submitted 8 days ago as the response if negative as others found.
- Location
- Oxfordshire
I think it’s more that natural England are being overloaded with notices so is taking longer to get them all through
I wouldn’t bet on it. They objected to their own planning application!
https://metro.co.uk/2023/10/24/cornwall-natural-england-opposes-its-own-development-plans-19710536/
Is that because on Magic Maps the arbitrary shaded area, encompasses some of your fields?
Just looked at it and it looks very randomly drawn, clearly nothing a millimetre to the East of the big dam is SSSI worthy but in other places it juts in and out, taking in whole fields etc.
I have a SSSI adjacent to one field, but Magic maps has a defined line that doesn't wander into our field.
Try to succeed
Member
Well I’m sat waiting patiently. I couldn’t believe it when the RPA emailed this morning saying they have received consent from NE today. My stress levels were tested last week…
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Thats good news. My case is still waiting. Contacted NE - nice person at NE said to be patient as they are working through but to give NE 28 days. So we decided to leave it a bit longer. The alternative is to withdraw the application - but that am unsure how quickly RPA act on a withdrawl. I expect we will wait too. Hey ho. H
I had the same issue as you with one of my applications. I emailed NE as instructed and got consent the next working day. I was very surprised / impressed.
Try to succeed
Member
Thankfully I decided to wait last week as I thought it may take a week or two to cancel and start again. Let’s see when the offer turns up
Try to succeed
Member
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I have just completed another application where one parcel out of 45 is adjacent to a SSSI and has the SSSI flag on the parcel in SFI application - now I appreciate the relevance. Fortunately this parcel is already in Mid Tier as AB15 - hence it was flagged up four years ago. I have just had a play with the system and including IPM4 meant the application wouldn't pass validate without completing the NE consent form tick box. So instead removed IPM4 and the validate worked. Will submit without and at later stage seek NE consent and include this small parcel in 12 months. Hey ho.
farmerm
Member
- Location
- Shropshire
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
I followed their instructions. I filled out the NE consent form, printed it off, signed it, scanned it and emailed it to NE along with the parcel maps. I described my situation (exactly the same as others on here - applying for SFI options on land adjacent to an SSSI) and my proposed options on the adjacent land (NUM3 and AB2). I also cced the person who had emailed me from the RPA. I sent it late Thursday evening. First thing Monday morning I got an email and my SFI was ready to accept on the RPA website.
No one was more surprised than me! Perhaps ccing the RPA person made a difference. Or perhaps I was lucky and my email landed in the inbox of someone competent.
Hindsight
Member
- Location
- Lincolnshire
Hi, I have had two of these now. First was in early January. Client and I did as you. Submitted consent application and forwarded the NE reply email to the contact at RPA and the SFI agreement was received a couple of days later. But the case two weeks ago now we followed same approach but have been told by our RPA contact that the application will not move until NE consent is received and my client having spoken with NE was told to be patient and that NE were 'on the case' and he was optimistic NE consent would be issued within 28 days but couldn't guarantee that. As ever officialdom never ceases to bemuse me. Interesting to compare experience. Best wishes.
I have an SSSI in the land parcel (the whole), submited an application before Christmas, and a consent application to NE at the same time.Hi all,
Just after some information on how long it took to get your consents back from NE if you were subject to this upon submission of your application? I do not farm in a SSSi but the system told me I am upon submission of my application. Will they waiver it if you are obviously not in one? All this bull**** bureaucracy is a joke; I had similar issues when applying for Stewardship adjacent to a SSSi woodland. They say no, you can't do that... those running the SSI asked me to have said options exactly in that position!!
Anyway, how long has it held your application process up? I can't see them rushing to email back saying 'yes you can do wahtever you want to do on your own land'.
Thanks
As i was doing nothing on that field number which the SSSI was on, got a quick reply, poss 2 weeks after Xmas, said they didnt want to know about it, no cross over
It sounds like I was just lucky then which is fortunate as I was trying to target a March start date for reasons discussed elsewhere. As I noted on another discussion, this is my only first hand experience with the RPA and I have been pleasantly surprised. Good luck. I hope you get it sorted soon.
PS. I meant AHL2 (not AB2)in my earlier post.
Try to succeed
Member
Still waiting on an offer. Soon be out of time 🫣