Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what guidance (a) her Department and (b) Natural England has issued on whether a habitats regulation assessment screening is required for the exercise of 28 day camping allowed by permitted development rights.

Permitted development rights (PDRs) are subject to national conditions and limitations and therefore do not remove the need to comply with the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017.

HRAs require an evaluation of whether a plan or project, including those benefiting from PDR, is likely to adversely affect any habitat site designated under the Habitats Regulations and/or its qualifying feature(s), and for any harm to be mitigated before the plan or project proceeds (unless there are imperative reasons of overriding public interest, no alternatives and necessary compensation is secured).

Guidance on the HRA process is available on Habitats regulations assessments: protecting a European site - GOV.UK, and via Planning Practice Guidance: When is permission required? - GOV.UK.