Other Consents and Impacts

The grant of planning permission does not absolve you from obtaining any other consents that might be necessary, for example, listed building consent; conservation area consent (for the demolition of an unlisted building within a conservation area); Building Regulations approval; or scheduled monuments consent. For further information on these consents you should contact your local authority.

You should, of course, also ensure that you have the necessary permission of any other party with a legal or financial interest in the property (e.g. a landlord).

Generally, full planning permission allows you to lop or fell trees, or remove countryside hedgerows, without obtaining any separate consent from the local authority. You may, however, need the local authority's separate consent if the tree or hedgerow work can be avoided when implementing the planning permission, or if you only have outline planning permission. For further information you should contact your local authority. You may also need a felling licence from the Forestry Commission before trees are removed. There are some specific situations where tree felling is permitted without such a licence (detailed planning consent for instance) and full information is available from the Forestry Commission.

Development activity that affects wildlife may also require separate consents. For example, a licence is needed from English Nature to permit interference with a badger sett in the course of development. You will also require a licence from the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs to disturb protected species (animal and plant species listed in the European Union Habitats Directive) in the course of development work. Disturbance of bats may need prior notification from English Nature. Further information on these matters can be obtained from your local authority or from English Nature.

A change in the type of agricultural use of land may require consent under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (as amended by the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000) from English Nature where it takes place on a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), or notification to the National Park Authority when on any National Park land which consists of, or includes, moor or heath.

However, where a planning application has been made and planning permission granted for development affecting an SSSI, the owner or occupier of the land is not required to obtain English Nature's consent (in these cases, the planning authority will have consulted English Nature before granting permission).

The exercise of certain permitted development rights on a SSSI may require the separate consent of English Nature where the operation is listed on the SSSI notification as likely to damage the special interest features of the site. Further advice about SSSIs can be obtained from English Nature (tel: 01733 455000 or visit their web site). Queries about notifications in National Parks should be made to the relevant National Park Authority.

The granting of planning permission will not give you the right to interfere with, obstruct or move a path which provides a public right of way. Such a path cannot legally be diverted or closed unless the relevant council (the highway authority) has made an order to do so to allow the development to go ahead. You should speak to the council at an early stage if your proposals would affect a public path in this way.