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Guidance: how to apply for a licence to burn on peat deeper than 30cm within a less favoured area

Updated 9 September 2025

Applies to England

You need a licence to burn heather, rough grass and other vegetation (bracken, gorse or Vaccinium species such as bilberries) which is both:

• on peat deeper than 30cm
• on a site within a less favoured area (LFA) – these are typically upland areas where the natural characteristics (such as geology, altitude and climate) make economic competition difficult

To see if you need to apply for this licence, read the guidance on heather and grass burning rules and when you need a licence.

The rules on burning on deep peat are changing.

From 30 September 2025, you must now apply for a licence to burn on peat deeper than 30cm if the land is within a less favoured area (LFA).

You must apply for a licence through Defra’s new online form. This form will become available on 30 September 2025. Use this page to understand what evidence you’ll need to provide to apply for this licence.

1. Eligibility and permissions

To be eligible for a licence to burn vegetation on peat deeper than 30cm you must have agreement from the landowner.

You can only apply for one licence per landholding at any time (a landholding refers to the entire area of land that is managed).

If granted a licence to burn, you may need to apply for a minor temporary adjustment from the Rural Payments Agency before you are able to carry out your burns. This applies if you have either a:

• Countryside Stewardship agreement
• Environmental Stewardship agreement

You may also need to meet other requirements if the land is on a site of special scientific interest (SSSI), on shared or common grazing land, or both.

If your intended burn is on a site of special scientific interest (SSSI)

If the land is designated as a SSSI, you must also have:

• valid SSSI consent from Natural England which permits burning of heather, grass, or other vegetation at the specific location named in your application
• agreement from others who also hold SSSI consent or have rights to burn on the same land

A licence will only be issued if the proposed burn does not harm the special interest of the SSSI. However, if the burn may cause damage, a licence may still be granted if the government’s statutory duty takes precedence over the potential harm.

If you don’t already have SSSI consent, you can apply through Natural England.

If your intended burn is on shared or common grazing land

If the land is shared or classified as common grazing, you must also have:

• rights or permission to burn, such as through a tenancy agreement or customary rights
• agreement from other rights holders who have permission to burn or existing SSSI consent

2. Providing details of each individual burn

In your application, you will need to provide information about each burn you will carry out under the licence. This includes:

• the reason for the burn
• in which burning season the burns will take place
• the location of the burn, including whether it is in a SSSI, Special Area of Conservation (SAC) or Special Protection Area (SPA)
• the size of the burn area
• the plants and vegetation at the burn site

You can include details of 3 burns on your licence application form. If you plan to carry out more burns you should submit details of these using the continuation sheet for additional burns.

3. Reasons for burning

You’ll need to show that you’re applying to burn for one of the following reasons:

1. to conserve, enhance or manage the natural or historic environment
2. for the safety of people
3. to reduce the impact of wildfire
4. for research or education purposes

The supporting information you’ll need to provide depends on why you’re applying.

3.1 If you’re applying to conserve, enhance or manage the natural or historic environment

You must submit a completed copy of a restoration plan with your application. The plan should include:

• a map of the whole landholding, not just the peat area
• the condition of the peat 
• details of how you have addressed any issues with restoring the habitat
• details of why you need to burn as part of your plan to restore the peatland habitat

You will need to show why you need to burn to restore the peat habitat and how you have implemented all the other necessary management actions (for example, rewetting the land).

Defra will provide updated guidance and a template restoration plan by 30 September 2025.

For more information about historic environment features and how to manage them, contact:

• Local Authority archaeologist or Historic Environment Records office
• National Park Authority archaeologist
• Historic England

3.2 If you’re applying for the safety of people

You need to provide evidence that there is a risk to the safety of people in the area. This could be an individual, or a group of people.

You need to set out:

• a description of the specific situation and circumstances which would be a risk to people
• reasons why burning would make the land safer

You must submit supporting evidence to show why there is a risk to the safety of any person.

If you are applying to reduce the risk of potential wildfire and the impact this could have on people, you should apply under reason 3.3 (to reduce the impact of wildfire).

3.3 If you’re applying to reduce the impact of wildfire

You must submit a completed copy of a wildfire management plan with your application. The plan must:

• cover the whole landholding, not just the peat area 
• explain why the burning is necessary and will be effective to reduce the impact of wildfire
• show what else is being done across the land to reduce the risk of wildfire and build natural resilience of the peatland habitat
• detail high risk ignition points, such as picnic spots, car parks and laybys, and show what is being done to reduce the risk of fire starting in these areas
• identify planned areas for burning on peat deeper than 30cm, including information about vegetation type and structure and the dimensions of the burn area
• demonstrate how you intend to manage the site to improve landscape resilience and reduce the need to burn in the future

Defra will provide updated guidance and a template wildfire management plan by 30 September 2025.

3.4 If you’re applying for research or education purposes

Applications under this reason must be part of a formal research project or for education purposes. The licence will be issued to the organisation rather than an individual.

As the applicant, you must provide:

• details of your proposal (and if it’s for research or education)
• details of why burning is the only way you can meet your objectives
• why the burn needs to take place on peat deeper than 30cm within an LFA

If you are applying for research purposes, you must also provide details of:

• if funding is required (and if already secured, the name of the funding body)
• how your research differs from published research

4. Evidence you need to provide

You must also include the following with your application:

• a map of the land which shows the boundaries of the landholding
• an 8-figure Ordnance Survey (OS) grid reference of each burn location
• information about an agri-environment scheme or any other agreements on the landholding
• proof that you have the agreement of any other parties who have rights to burn or who have a valid SSSI consent on the same land
• information about any training, qualifications or work experience that shows you can burn safely
• evidence that your proposals will not damage the peatland habitat
• evidence that you have considered alternative solutions to burning and why they are not suitable
• a plan to show how you will manage the burn area in the future to avoid the need to burn again

If your burn area falls within a SSSI, you will also need to include a SSSI consent, showing the name of the consent holder, the activities it permits and the land that it refers to.

5. When to apply

You should allow as much time as possible for your application to be processed, and at least 12 weeks before you intend to burn.

You will usually get a decision on your application within 12 weeks. If it is likely to take longer than this, Defra will contact you. You must wait for the licence to be granted before burning.

To change the terms of your licence, you must apply for a new licence. The existing licence will be cancelled upon approval of the new one.

6. How to apply

To apply for a licence to burn on peat deeper than 30cm within an LFA, you can complete the licence application form.

This digital form will be available on 30 September 2025.

7. Get help

If you have any questions about applying for a licence email the Peatland Protection Team at heatherandgrassburning@defra.gov.uk.