View a list of species covered by UK and European legislation on Natural England's protected species lists.
Before an application is granted
If you believe that a proposed development on a site may violate appropriate legislation, consider the following steps:
- Check planning applications: Visit the relevant planning authority’s website and search for the specific planning application.
- Ecological survey report: Determine whether the developer has submitted an ecological survey report.
- Species consideration: Verify if the report takes into account the species present.
- Inform the authorities: If the report is missing or inadequate, notify the relevant planning officer and the planning authority ecologist.
After an application is granted
If the authority has granted permission but the species in question has not been considered, it is still worth contacting the planning authority. Further surveys may need to be conducted, and there may still be time to adapt plans if necessary.
Development has started
If you suspect that activities on a development site will illegally affect a protected species, it is a civil matter rather than a planning one. An example might be a barn conversion where bats have been seen, but no licence has been obtained. In this case, contact your local wildlife crime officer, who may have time to investigate. Evidence of the presence of protected species on the site before work started is always helpful in such instances.
Share your records
In all cases, share your records with us to help grow our database.