Changes to SSSIs
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Changes to SSSI boundaries and denotification of SSSIs Reviews of operations requiring consent and site management statements |
Changes to SSSI boundaries and denotification of SSSIs
We may enlarge an SSSI or de-notify all or part of an SSSI, to manage the SSSI series and address changes on individual sites.
If we want to enlarge an SSSI, we must tell all of the owners and occupiers of the new area in the same way as we would notify a new SSSI. We must also notify the other interested parties.
If we want to de-notify all or part of an SSSI, we must notify the owners and occupiers of the affected area and other interested parties and explain why we no longer think the area is of special interest.
As with a new notification, we must refer any unresolved scientific objections to the Advisory Committee on SSSIs. We will send you a copy of its advice and tell you about any changes we make to the SSSI.
Review of SSSI citations
SNH may amend citations and add or remove natural features at any time. If we have reason to amend a citation, we will discuss this with you and other relevant owners and occupiers.
Reviews of operations requiring consent and site management statements
We may review the list of operations requiring consent when we see fit. Because this may help you, we plan to review and amend all ORC lists by 2011. You may also ask us to review the ORC list for your site after November 2010 and more than six years after we notified the site and last reviewed the list; or at any time if we and every other owner and occupier of the site agrees to this. We cannot review permissions issued by other regulatory authorities.
How we review site management statements is very similar to how we review lists of operations requiring consent, except that there are no time restrictions. If we make changes to the list of operations requiring consent or to the site management statement, we must notify all of the site’s owners and occupiers of the changes.
We may also ask Scottish Ministers to urgently add a new operation requiring consent where we think it is needed to protect the natural features of an SSSI. If Scottish Ministers agree to the addition, we must tell each owner and occupier of the SSSI and anyone else we think might carry out the newly listed operation.
Change in owner, occupier or other interest in an SSSI
If you dispose of all or part of your interest in an SSSI you must tell us of the change and tell the person acquiring the interest about the SSSI, within 28 days of the change. You must do the same if you become aware of a different or additional occupier of your land within an SSSI.
We do not have to notify new owners or occupiers as you should tell them about the designation when they acquire their interest in the land. The Registers of Scotland will develop a new SSSI register to help make sure this happens. However, we will always be pleased to send a copy of the original notification to any new owner or occupier and discuss it with them.
A new owner or occupier is bound by the original notification, and the written consents we gave to the previous owner or occupier remain valid. They need only obtain consent from SNH or another regulatory authority if they propose to carry out, or permit to be carried out, a new operation that is likely to damage the natural features of the SSSI – as described earlier.