Before you start using the Local Nature Recovery Strategy

Using Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) to help nature.

Overview

Oxfordshire’s Local Nature Recovery Strategy (LNRS) provides high-level guidance for planners, developers, farmers, communities, and environmental bodies. It includes:

Recommended habitat creation and enhancement actions
Species-specific recommendations
A Local Habitat Map showing opportunity areas for nature recovery

These resources are not prescriptive. You are not required to deliver exactly what is shown. Instead, the LNRS illustrates a potential network of nature across Oxfordshire.

Refer to our user guides to understand how to use the strategy and map tool to support biodiversity priorities.

You must still consult relevant authorities and secure necessary permissions before doing habitat work.

Permissions and approvals

Landowners and managers should consider:

Planning permissions
Flood risk
Farmland quality
Species records
Scheduled monuments

The LNRS does not grant permission for any actions. Always seek advice from:

Local planners
Archaeologists
Environment Agency
Natural England
Forestry Commission
Historic England
National Landscapes teams

Use the local habitat map and recommendations as supporting evidence when discussing proposals with these experts.

First steps

TVERC can provide a map and report showing all the environmental information held for your area and whether it is protected by law or planning policy.

You can also access a range of information and maps about your project or local area on the following websites:

Special consideration

Working near water courses

Before carrying out any excavation work or tree planting within 8 metres of a watercourse, or any excavation work in the floodplain, consult The Oxfordshire Flood Toolkit and the Environment Agency’s consent page on the Government website.

Main river consent

Excavation work or tree planting that takes place within 8 metres of a riverbank of a river classed as ‘Main River’ will require consent from the Environment Agency.

Ordinary watercourse consent

Ordinary watercourses include streams, drains and ditches and culverts/pipes through which water flows and that do not form part of a main river or sewers. This includes watercourses that may be dry for part of the year. These are the responsibility of Oxfordshire County Council with district councils undertaking the consenting on their behalf. Contact the relevant City or District Council as early as possible for advice to determine whether your proposals will be deemed to affect the flow of an ordinary watercourse and therefore require consent. Even if you have planning permission or other consents, you may still require an Ordinary Watercourse Consent.

Creating a pond or lake

Generally, creating a pond in your garden does not require planning permission. If you are planning a large pond, lake, or a pond complex that requires mechanical excavation, you may need planning permission. Contact your local planning authority with details of where you plan to do the work to find out if you need permission. Excavations in some areas could cause flooding. You should find out if you need an environmental permit if the pond or lake will be:

near a main river
near a flood defence structure
in the floodplain

You may also need to apply for a waste transfer note if you’re removing spoil as a result of pond or lake creation work.

If your land is part of a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), you must find out whether you need consent to dig a pond or lake before you start.

Once you have secured relevant permissions, you can create ponds and lakes throughout the year but do not disturb protected species, like nesting birds. Birds, nests and eggs are protected by law. You must check the area for birds before you start digging. If you see signs of nesting birds, delay digging until birds fledge.

Consider whether you are working near to, or within designated wildlife sites and whether protected species might be present.

Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI)

Any work on a SSSI requires careful consideration and adherence to regulations. Land that has a SSSI designation is closely protected by Natural England and you must consult with Natural England to get consent before changing activities on SSSIs. Each SSSI has a list of activities, known as ‘operations’, which need Natural England’s consent.

Finding out if your land is within a SSSI

Use the designated sites system (DSS) to search for a SSSI to:

get the list of ‘operations requiring Natural England’s consent’ (the ORNEC list) - you can download a list for each SSSI
get a map of the site’s boundary
find out why the site was designated
get Natural England’s ‘views about management’ report to see their steer on how to manage the land effectively
find out the latest condition of the site

You must get written consent from Natural England if you intend to conduct a listed operation within the boundary of the SSSI. Read the section Get consent to carry out operations on your land for guidance on how to do this.

Local wildlife sites

The Thames Valley Environmental Records Centre (TVERC) maintain the Local Wildlife Sites (LWS) living list and locations. A large proportion of the LWS within the county are within private ownership.

The wildlife sites project officer based with the Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT) can provide free advice to landowners on land management and grants. Contact BBOWT for information on the Oxfordshire Wildlife Sites Project and management advice for sites in Oxfordshire. Contact TVERC for information on individual sites, site selection process and surveying.

European Protected Species (EPS)

If you know that protected species are in the area and your activity is likely to disturb them, you may need a licence. Information about wildlife licences and when to apply for them can be found on the Government’s Wildlife Licenses website.

Even if protected species will not be impacted, always consider the timing of your activities to avoid disturbance at critical times of the year, for example, during the bird nesting season.

Further considerations

Trees and woodlands and forestry activities

Work that involves felling trees might require a licence from the Forestry Commission; the government website provides information on when to apply. In some cases, an environmental impact assessment will be required if major changes in land use are proposed.

Sometimes, trees may be protected by a tree preservation order or be within a conservation area. In these cases consents may be needed, you can find further guidance on this site about Tree Preservation Orders and conservation areas.

Common land

Areas of common land are subject to some restrictions, especially any activities that might affect common rights or impede access to a common. If restoration work involves changing fencing on common land, then consent from the Planning Inspectorate (on behalf of the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs) to carry out any works is required.

Historic environment

You should seek to access and review baseline historic environment data to build a picture of any site, including its archaeological potential and sensitivity.

Sources of information

Review Historic Environment Record (HER) data. Note any of the following near the proposed area for nature recovery activity:

Designated assets (Scheduled Monuments)
Archaeological Notification Areas (ANAs)
Non-scheduled assets (archaeological sites recorded on the HER that
are not Scheduled Monuments)
Conservation Areas
Find-spots

Where scheduled monuments are near the proposed site (or where a proposed site falls within a Scheduled area), you can access further information through Historic England’s National Heritage List for England (NHLE).

This resource also holds information on, Registered Parks and Gardens or Registered Historic Battlefield sites.

You can also access the Aerial Archaeology Mapping Explorer, which compiles all aerial archaeological data in a searchable platform.

If in doubt, contact our archaeologists, who can conduct a search of the information about the site.