Collingridge Ecological Consultants

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Contact:

E-mail:

contact@collingridge.net with "contact" in the subject line.

Phone:

+44 (0)1425 475071

Mobile:

+44 (0)7790 677163

Countryside links

Please let us know of any broken or out of date links: richard@collingridge.net

Statutory bodies

  • Nature conservation: the Country Agencies:
    • English Nature. Covers nature conservation only. Replaced NCC in England in 1992.
    • The Countryside Council for Wales. Covers nature conservation, landscape and access. Replaced Welsh parts of the NCC and the Countryside Commission for England and Wales in 1992
    • Scottish Natural Heritage. Covers nature conservation, landscape and access. Replaced Scottish part of NCC and the Countryside Commission for Scotland in 1992.
    • These three country agencies are the statutory government-funded bodies which deal with species and habitat protection law in Britain, as well as geological conservation. They also manage National Nature Reserves (NNRs). International issues, and those covering the whole of Britain are dealt with by the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). The Nature Conservancy Council (NCC) covered the nature conservation duties of the three country agencies and JNCC until 1992 (it was preceded in turn by the Nature Conservancy, a committee of the Natural Environment Research Council). Note: in Britain "Conservancy" implies a statutory role, unlike for example the USA where the Nature Conservancy is a voluntary body.

    • Northern Ireland is covered by a government department, the Department of the Environment for Northern Ireland.
  • The Countryside Agency took over the role of the Countryside Commission in England in 1998. It deals mainly with landscape and countryside access.
  • The Environment Agency (EA). Deals with pollution control and water regulation. Took over pollution issues from Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Pollution (HMIP) and the waste departments of county and unitary councils. Took over statutory water regulation issues from the National Rivers Authority (NRA), which itself replaced the regulatory elements of the regional Water Authorities.
  • English Heritage (EH) is responsible for Ancient Monuments and other archaeological matters in England. Overlaps with EN over ancient human remains (which are both palaeontological and archaeological).
    • The Forestry Authority. Regulates forestry and protects woodland.
    • Forest Enterprise. Deals with commercial forestry production and support. Owns large areas of land, some of which is managed as Forest Nature Reserves (FNRs)
    • Regional water "plc"s. Cover the whole of Britain. Took over sewage treatment and water supply (except in areas covered by local water supply companies) from the regional Water Authorities. Have statutory duties towards nature conservation.
    • Local water supply companies. Deal with water supply in some areas. Have statutory duties towards nature conservation.
  • Legislature
    • Houses of Parliament. Legislation covering the whole of the UK and that affecting only England or only Northern Ireland.
  • Local government (see Local Government Association, incorporating the Association of County Councils and the Association of Metropolitan Authorities - see also Tagish for links to individual council's web pages):
    • County Councils. Cover the whole country except areas with Unitary Authorities. Deal with planning matters on a county scale, including transport, minerals and other wider issues.
    • District, Borough and City Councils. Cover the same areas as County Councils. Deal with planning matters on a local scale. Include local Land Charges offices which keep track of land use and planning constraints (not to be confused with the national Land Registry which deals with land ownership).
    • Unitary Planning Authorities (including Metropolitan Borough Councils and London Borough Councils). These replace County and District Councils in some areas, and cover both levels of issues.

Voluntary bodies

Professional bodies

  • Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (IEEM) Professional organisation for practising ecologists in Britain. Organises training and conferences and provides professional support, aiming to maintain high professional and ethical standards.
  • Institute of Environmental Management and Assessment (IEMA). Aims to support the professional development of individuals involved in environmental management and assessment. Formed in 1999 by merger between the Institute of Environmental Management, the Environmental Auditor's Registration Association, and Institute of Environmental Assessment.

Other countryside links

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