Guidance

Slurry Infrastructure grant planning applications: Natural England’s advice for local planning authorities (LPAs)

Updated 2 April 2024

Applies to England

The Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) introduced the Slurry Infrastructure grant scheme in December 2022 to help farms invest in high quality slurry systems that reduce water and air pollution.

Natural England supports the scheme because it will reduce pollution and help protected sites to realise their conservation objectives.

Round 2 of the grant scheme launched on 21 November 2023. It prioritises areas across England where action is most urgently needed to reduce the impact of farming on protected sites.

Protected sites include:

• sites of special scientific interest (SSSIs)
• special areas of conservation (SACs)
• special protection areas (SPAs)
• wetlands designated to be of international importance under the Ramsar Convention (or Ramsar sites)

You can check how applications will be prioritised in Round 2 of the Slurry Infrastructure grant.

Grant applications may require planning permission, and local planning authorities (LPAs) must consult Natural England where there may be impacts on protected sites.

In April 2023, Defra, the Environment Agency and Natural England provided an update on the Slurry Infrastructure grant to LPAs [The National Archives]. This included a checklist of evidence LPAs can expect to see for slurry store proposals. This checklist has been reflected in the guidance for applicants.

To further reduce the amount of detailed assessment required on a case-by-case basis for planning consultations, Natural England has worked with the Environment Agency to model the scheme-level impacts of the Slurry Infrastructure grant.

The modelling used Farmscoper, a tool to assess diffuse agricultural pollutant loads on farms. It shows the Slurry Infrastructure grant scheme will lead to net reductions in water and air pollution.

What this means for LPAs

In most cases, Natural England expects to be able to send standardised responses to planning consultations from LPAs advising that:

• the environmental risks are low
• further assessment will not be required

This is due to the:

• aims of the scheme (reducing pollution impacts to protected sites)
• reduction in pollution shown by the modelling of scheme-level impacts
• criteria and requirements of the scheme (including the checklist of evidence as set out in the April 2023 letter an update on the Slurry Infrastructure grant to LPAs [The National Archives])

There may be a small number of consultations where further assessment will be required, as there may be a high potential for pollution impacts on protected sites. In these higher-risk cases, Natural England will provide more detailed advice to the LPA to support its decision making.

LPAs should note that special rules also apply to permitted development rights where development could have a significant effect on a Habitats site (as defined in the National Planning Policy Framework). See the planning practice guidance on when permission is required (Paragraph: 019 Reference ID: 13-019-20190722) for more information.

Consulting Natural England

LPAs should clearly state if a planning application is related to a Slurry Infrastructure grant-funded project when they consult Natural England. This will allow Natural England to take account of the scheme conditions when they provide advice on planning applications.

Get environmental advice on planning applications

LPAs should continue to consult Natural England on other matters related to its remit. See the planning and transport authorities: get environmental advice on planning guidance for advice on when you may need to consult Natural England.

Contact Natural England

You can consult Natural England by email at consultations@naturalengland.org.uk.