Conservation covenants: apply to become a responsible body
Apply for your organisation to become a responsible body for conservation covenants.
Applies to England
Documents
Details
Your organisation must be a designated responsible body to create a conservation covenant with a landowner.
Your organisation may need to comply with additional requirements if you plan on entering into conservation covenant agreements for the delivery of specific schemes. For example, you may need to comply with additional requirements for future biodiversity net gain schemes or environmental land management schemes.
Who can apply
You can apply for your organisation to become a responsible body if it’s one of the following:
- a local authority
- a public body or charity, where at least some of its main purposes or functions relate to conservation
- a body other than a public body or charity, where at least some of its main activities relate to conservation
When it comes to conservation covenants, the main purposes, functions or activities that relate to conservation are:
- conservation or restoration of the natural environment and resources (or the setting of the land)
- conservation of places of archaeological, architectural, artistic, cultural, or historic interest (or the setting of the land)
Criteria for being a responsible body
Your organisation will need to meet the criteria for being a responsible body.
How to apply
Download and complete the application form. Send your organisation’s application and supporting information to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) at conservation.covenants@defra.gov.uk.
You’ll need to include 2 signed declarations as part of your application.
Defra will contact you if you need to provide more information.
Outcome of your application
Defra will aim to inform you of the outcome of your organisation’s designation request within 12 weeks of receiving a correctly completed application form.
If your organisation’s application is successful, Defra will add its contact details and main areas of expertise to the list of designated responsible bodies.
If your organisation’s application is unsuccessful, you can apply again with new information.
Register a local land charge
If your organisation successfully becomes a responsible body, you’ll need to register any conservation covenants your organisation creates on the appropriate local land charges register.
Defra will send newly designated responsible bodies guidance about how to register a local land charge for their conservation covenants.
Submit an annual return
If your organisation successfully becomes a responsible body, you’ll need to submit an annual return for the conservation covenants it holds.
In the annual return, you must report on the:
- total number of conservation covenants your organisation holds
- the area of land covered by each conservation covenant
You can also provide additional information about your organisation’s covenants. This will help Defra evaluate whether conservation convents are an effective tool.
The additional information on your organisation’s covenants could include:
- whether they are for nature or heritage conservation purposes
- their location
- the type of habitat they aim to maintain or enhance, if applicable
- progress towards delivering conservation outcomes, highlighting any successes
Send the completed form to conservation.covenants@defra.gov.uk by 31 March each year.
Submitting an annual return does not remove your obligation to notify Defra as soon as possible if your organisation’s circumstances change and you think it no longer meets the criteria for being a responsible body. If you fail to notify Defra of any relevant change in circumstances, they may remove your organisation from the list of designated responsible bodies.
Get help
Email conservation.covenants@defra.gov.uk if you have any questions about the responsible body designation process.
Last updated 6 February 2024 + show all updates
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Added links to the list of designated responsible bodies.
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First published.