News story: New Trustee Appointed to Sport England

With over 20 years’ professional experience in communications, policy and disability advocacy, Rashmi has worked in the UK and internationally in a range of fields including sport, healthcare, social care, and the arts.

Rashmi worked as a press and policy expert in the UK Civil Service at the Department of Education and Employment, Foreign and Commonwealth Office and secondments to the European Commission and European Parliament. This followed with in the charity sector, supporting the UK’s biggest biomedical research funder the Wellcome Trust in its stakeholder relations and as Executive Director and Strategic Communications Advisor for national disability charities. Rashmi also worked internationally, in the UAE leading communications, and government affairs for national healthcare and biotechnology developments.

Rashmi’s work has focused on supporting organisations and initiatives that promote social inclusion and quality of life. A keen sportsperson, and passionate about the benefits of physical activity on health and wellbeing, Rashmi held a Board position with the Activity Alliance where she helped develop their charter setting out the changes required to improve disabled people’s participation in sport. In 2016 Rashmi was recognised for her Outstanding Contribution to Innovation at the National Learning Disabilities and Autism Awards. Passionate about dance, Rashmi is the founder of Step Change Studios which provides inclusive dance opportunities for people with and without disabilities.

Rashmi has an MPhil in Education from the University of Cambridge and is guardian to her disabled brother. As well as dance, Rashmi enjoys a wide range of activities including cycling, swimming, and running – having completed four marathons.

The role is remunerated at £218 per day. This appointment has been made in accordance with the Cabinet Office’s Governance Code on Public Appointments. The appointments process is regulated by the Commissioner for Public Appointments. Under the Code, any significant political activity undertaken by an appointee in the last five years must be declared. This is defined as including holding office, public speaking, making a recordable donation, or candidature for election. Rashmi has declared no such political activity.



Detailed guide: Assess environmental impact before felling trees

You may intend to fell trees to use land for a different purpose, for example, open habitat restoration.

The thresholds of projects for felling woodland to use the land for a different purpose are affected by the scale of the project and the sensitivity of the location in which tree felling is to take place. Use the table below to see which threshold your project falls into. You must apply for our opinion where your project requires EIA screening.

Tree felling thresholds table

Scale of project Sensitive area: not an AONB/NP Sensitive area: AONB/NP only Not within a sensitive area
1ha or more Full EIA screening Full EIA screening Full EIA screening
0.5ha to 1ha Full EIA screening Full EIA screening No EIA required
Less than 0.5ha Full EIA screening No EIA required No EIA required

Use the [Land Information Search (LIS])(/government/admin/detailed-guides/827362)
and other online map browsers such as MAGIC.gov.uk to identify any designations or sensitivities that may be affected by the project. The sensitivities will determine the particular area threshold you must use.

Converting woodlands to open habitats

You also need to complete the Convert woodland to Open Habitats application form, providing information on why this project is important, and where, when required, you will plant compensatory woodland. See the Get consent to convert woodland to open habitat guide.

See the overview guidance on EIAs for general information about EIAs, or find out more about getting our opinion and consent.

Download an EIA enquiry form: deforestation.

If you’re applying for a grant to enable deforestation, you mustn’t start any work until you have received an EIA determination on your deforestation proposal.

Send your form to your local admin hub.

Penalties

If you carry out work that would have required our consent and have not received it, or breach the conditions of a consent we have given, the regulations allow us to issue an Enforcement Notice, which will require you to rectify the breach of the regulations.

Failure to comply with an Enforcement Notice carries a penalty on conviction of an unlimited fine.

Further information

You can find out more about the process with the:

If you have any questions, you can contact your nearest Forestry Commission area office.

Appeals

You can make a complaint or appeal against a Forestry Commission decision.



Detailed guide: EIAs: notify the Forestry Commission, get an opinion or apply for consent

You may have to notify the Forestry Commission or ask for it’s opinion about environmental impact, depending on the scale and location of the forestry project you’re proposing. Once you’ve had a Forestry Commission response you may have to apply for consent. These formal processes are written into the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) regulations – see the overview guidance for general information on EIAs).

Notification

If your forestry project is for afforestation, small scale in nature and/or located within a low risk area you may simply be able to notify the Forestry Commission of your proposal, using the EIA enquiry form, in order to get it’s decision. Check the afforestation thresholds table to see if you’re eligible for this process, and which notification procedure would apply.

If you’re eligible for basic notification, the Forestry Commission will give its decision within 28 days, unless it asks you for more information.

If you’re eligible for full notification, the Forestry Commission will give its decision within 42 days, unless it asks you for more information.

If the Forestry Commission asks for more information, you’ll get a request in writing and the decision period will be restarted once you’ve provided the requested information.

Opinion

For all other eligible forestry projects, the Forestry Commission will give an opinion on whether or not you, the applicant, must apply for consent to carry out any work. Below is the process for getting it’s opinion.

1. Bring your proposal together

When planning your project, you should use your own forestry experience or seek advice from a professional forestry agent, and should engage with local and statutory stakeholders who may have an interest in the land on which your project will lie, as required.

Gather information from on the site and from as many other sources as possible and use that information to design a UK Forestry Standard compliant forestry project. You should consider liaising with Natural England and the Environment Agency at this stage, and submit their comments along with your EIA enquiry application.

2. Complete an EIA enquiry form

Once your project proposal has been drawn together, complete the relevant EIA enquiry for your project(s).

3. Send your details to the Forestry Commission

Send your completed form with the following information/documentation to your local Forestry Commission admin office
  • a map identifying the area and showing the extent of the project – this should be a clear Ordnance Survey map at a scale of 1:10,000 or 1:2,500
  • information on the characteristics of the project and any likely significant effects on the environment – significant effects are specified in Appendix 2 of the
    EIA screening guidance
    (PDF, 942KB, 21 pages)

    document
  • any other information or evidence that you have gathered and is relevant, eg species maps, plans, photographs etc, including a description of any features of the project or measures envisaged to avoid or prevent what might otherwise have been significant adverse effects on the environment

If the Forestry Commission reasonably requires further information in order to form an opinion, it will contact you. If, at any time, it becomes aware of proposals that require it’s consent, the Forestry Commission may give it’s opinion to the person whom it believes should have asked it.

4. When to expect an opinion decision

The Forestry Commission will only begin to form an opinion when all the relevant information has been received. If the Forestry Commission has asked you for more information, the process may take longer. It will normally form an opinion within 28 days of receiving all the relevant information, but in exceptional circumstances it may take longer than this period to form an opinion. If this is the case, the Forestry Commission will let you know in writing.

Decisions last for a period of 5 years or any shorter period specified.

If the Forestry Commission decides that consent is not required, it will inform you in writing.

If the Forestry Commission decides that consent for the work is required, it will inform you in writing. If you wish to progress with your project you will be required to produce an Environmental Statement and application for consent in order to get a decision about whether or not the work can proceed.

When the Forestry Commission publicises the decision

After notifying you of their decision, the Forestry Commission will publish the decision on a Public Register for 28 days. This will notify the public of the decision on your project.

Grant applications for EIA project types

If you’re applying for a Forestry Commission grant to deliver a EIA project type you may not be required to submit an EIA Enquiry Form, as the information provided in your grant application may meet the information requirements of the Enquiry Form.

Additionally you should note that grant applications take longer to assess than EIA projects, so the final EIA decision for Notification or Opinion won’t be given until the final grant offer is ready to be made. This may be significantly longer than 28 or 42 days.

If the Forestry Commission decides your project has a significant impact on the environment, you must get its consent for the work before you start.

Your application will need to include an Environmental Statement and you will have to scope the project. For more help, read the
EIA scoping environmental statement guidance.
(PDF, 652KB, 31 pages)

The Forestry Commission is required to provide formal consent for certain ‘relevant projects’ under the EIA Regulations. The process for getting its consent is outlined below.

In most cases, the Forestry Commission would strongly advise applicants to proceed with the notification or application for our opinion, whichever is relevant, prior to submitting an application for consent. But if you’re certain that an application for consent is required, it’s possible to apply for consent without completing the previous steps.

1. Make preliminary enquiries

Speak to your local Forestry Commission woodland officer about your project and the need to apply for consent. They will help you to decide which countryside organisations may need to be involved with providing information that might help the preparation of the Environmental Statement.

2. Hold a scoping meeting

This meeting between you, the Forestry Commission, relevant countryside organisations, consultees and interested parties, such as neighbours, will help to identify the particular issues that the environmental statement must address.

3. Prepare an Environmental Statement (ES)

The purpose of an ES is to provide the Forestry Commission and other interested parties with as full an understanding of the consequences of the proposals as possible.

4. Prepare the application

You will need to include:

  • a map showing the area where the project is proposed, and the extent of any planting, regeneration, constructions, works or operations – this should be a clear Ordnance Survey map at a scale of 1:10 000 or 1:2 500
  • a description of the nature of the relevant project
  • any other information that might be relevant e.g. species maps, plans, photographs etc
  • the Environmental Statement for the work
  • a copy of the publicity notice that you must place in newspapers (this should only be done once the ES has been finalised with the Forestry Commission)

Note: you may have already supplied some of this information if you’ve previously asked for the Forestry Commission opinion under the EIA regulations. This information can be reused to help inform your ES. You can also use other relevant and equivalent ES from other similar projects as part of your application for consent, rather than having to recreate the required evidence.)

5. Send the application

Send the documents to your local admin hub.

The Forestry Commission may ask for multiple copies of the application documents to send to appropriate consultees.

6. Publicise the ES and consult

  • Once the Forestry Commission is satisfied that the ES addresses all the issues of concern as agreed at the scoping meeting then you must make a public notice.
  • Place the public notice (advertisement) in local newspapers and/or electronically, as directed by the Forestry Commission. You’re responsible for the cost of this notice.
  • Full details about the contents of the notice are given in the Environmental Impact Assessment of Forestry Projects.
  • You must make copies of the application and the ES available in public places such as the local library, post office etc. The Forestry Commission will advise you about suitable locations.
  • The Forestry Commission will give details of your application to the appropriate consultees and statutory bodies as well as the local authority with an interest in the application. They’re required to give us their comments within 30 days.
  • Proposals to carry out new planting or felling will appear on the Register of New Planting and Felling.

7. The Forestry Commission responds

The Forestry Commission will respond with one of 3 possible decisions. You will either be:

  • granted consent subject to the standard conditions (that the work must be started within 5 years from the date of consent and finished no later than 10 years from the date of consent)
  • granted consent subject to the standard conditions (above) plus other additional conditions
  • refused consent

8. The Forestry Commission publicises the decision

After notifying you and other interested parties about their decision, the Forestry Commission will advertise their decision in the same newspapers in which the notice of the application for consent was placed and will be responsible for the cost of this notice.

Appeals

You can make a complaint or appeal against a Forestry Commission decision.



Detailed guide: Assess environmental impact before you create new woodland

Woodland creation means work that involves direct seeding or natural regeneration processes, planting Christmas trees or planting short rotation coppice.

The thresholds of projects to create new woodland are affected by the scale of the project and the sensitivity of the location in which the project is to take place. Use the table below to see which threshold your project falls into. You must apply for our opinion where your project requires EIA screening, or you may simply be able to notify us of your project instead. For very small proposals away from sensitive locations, you could be exempt from assessment by the Forestry Commission.

Afforestation thresholds table

Project Size (Ha) Land type – sensitivity EIA requirements
0ha – 2ha A sensitive area but not a National Park or Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) Full EIA screening
0ha – 2ha Everywhere else No EIA screening
2ha – 5ha Any sensitive area Full EIA screening
2ha – 5ha Everywhere else (Prior) basic notification
5ha – 50ha Only in a low risk area (Prior) full notification
5ha – 50ha Everywhere else Full EIA screening
>50ha Everywhere else Full EIA screening

Notification

If your forestry project is afforestation (woodland creation), small scale in nature and/or located within a low risk area then you may simply be able to notify us of your proposal (giving a basic or full notification) using the EIA Enquiry Form to get our decision.

This process gives specific timescales in which the Forestry Commission must give you a decision. However, if you’re also applying for a woodland creation grant from the Forestry Commission then you will not receive the decision for a Notification until the Forestry Commission has made a decision on the grant offer.

About prior basic notification

For afforestation projects between 2 and 5 hectares in non-sensitive areas, prior basic notification will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements under the EIA Regulations. Use the Land Information Search (LIS) and other online map browsers such as MAGIC.gov.uk to identify any designations or sensitivities that may be affected by the project.

When you submit prior basic notification to the Forestry Commission, you must include:

  • a description of the proposal for the project
  • a map or plan sufficient to identify the land that is the subject of the proposed project (including its boundaries)
  • information about the proposer and any agent or manager of the proposer

Within 28 days of first giving us notification, we may ask you to give further information. If you don’t get an assessment from the Forestry Commission within 28 days then you can assume that the project is unlikely to have significant effects on the environment and no further action will then be required under the EIA Regulations.

About prior full notification

For afforestation projects between 5 and 50 hectares that are fully within low risk areas, prior full notification will be sufficient to satisfy the requirements under the EIA Regulations. Use the Land Information Search (LIS) and other online map browsers such as MAGIC.gov.uk to identify any designations or sensitivities that may be affected by the project.

Full notification submitted to the Forestry Commission on the EIA enquiry form must include:

  • a description of the proposals for the project, including evidence that the proposals are consistent with good forestry practice
  • information about the land that the project covers or affects, including a map or plan sufficient to identify the land and its boundaries, habitats and water features
  • information about the proposer and any agent or manager of the proposer

It must also include evidence that the proposer has consulted on the project with (for example):

  • the person responsible for maintaining the Local Environment Records for the area (in respect of biodiversity)
  • the Environment Agency (in respect of the possible impact of the project on any water features)
  • the relevant local authority (in respect of the possible impact of the project on the landscape)
  • the person responsible for maintaining the Historic Environment Records for the area (in respect of the possible impact of the project on the historic environment)
  • any potentially affected neighbours

Within 42 days of first giving us notification, we may ask you to give further information. If you don’t get an assessment from the Forestry Commission within 42 days then you can assume that the project is unlikely to have significant effects on the environment. No further action will then be required under the EIA Regulations.

Submit an EIA enquiry form for afforestation.

Send your form to the FC admin hub

EIAs and grant applications for woodland creation

If you’re applying for a Forestry Commission grant then you may not be required to submit a separate EIA enquiry form, as the information in your grant application may meet the Forestry Commission’s requirements to assess environmental impact.

If you do not qualify for an exemption or notification then you must apply to the Forestry Commission for our opinion. Your afforestation project may have impacts on the environment which, when seeking our opinion, will highlight the need for our consent to be given before the project can begin.

See the overview guidance on EIAs for general information about EIAs, or find out more about getting our opinion and consent.

Further information

You can find out more about the process with the:

See additional advice on
EIA requirements for woodland creation
(PDF, 574KB, 20 pages)

If you have any questions, you can contact your nearest Forestry Commission area office.

Appeals

You can make a complaint or appeal against a Forestry Commission decision.



Detailed guide: Assess the environmental impact of work on roads or quarries in forests

The thresholds of projects for forestry roads and quarries are affected by the scale of the project and the sensitivity of the location for the road or quarry. Use the tables below to see which threshold your project falls into. You must apply for our opinion where your project requires EIA screening.

You may need to repair, improve or create new infrastructure through your woodland or across open land to reach your woodland, and you may need to quarry for materials to build that infrastructure.

You must check with your local planning authority to see if they will grant you permitted development rights for your infrastructure proposal. If they don’t grant permitted development, you may need to apply for planning permission. The local planning authority should assess all your infrastructure proposals when considering your planning application, and you shouldn’t need to ask the Forestry Commission for its opinion under the EIA Forestry regulations.

If they do grant permitted development, you need to check the thresholds table below to see if you’ll need the Forestry Commission’s opinion under the EIA Forestry regulations.

Forest road/quarries thresholds table

Land type Proposed project area Action
The land, or part of the land, is in a sensitive area Area of any size Application for EIA opinion required
No part of the land is in a sensitive area 1 hectare or less No EIA required
No part of the land is in a sensitive area More than 1 hectare Application for EIA opinion required

Use the Land Information Search (LIS) and other online map browsers, such as MAGIC.gov.uk to identify any designations or sensitivities that may be affected by the project. The sensitivities will determine the particular area threshold that must be used.

If you do not qualify for an exemption or notification then you must apply to the Forestry Commission for our opinion. Your afforestation project may have impacts on the environment which, when seeking our opinion, will highlight the need for our consent to be given before the project can commence.

See the overview guidance on EIAs for general information about EIAs, or find out more about getting our opinion and consent.

Download an EIA Enquiry form for forest roads and quarries

Send your form to your local admin hub.

EIAs grant applications for forest roads and or quarries

If you’re applying for a grant to enable forestry roads or quarries, you should not start any work until you have received an EIA determination on your deforestation proposal.

Further information

You can find more information about EIAs for work on roads and quarries in forests in the
Supplementary guidance for a forest road and/or quarry project seeking an EIA Opinion in England
(PDF, 426KB, 16 pages)

You can find out more about the process with the:

Appeals

You can make a complaint or appeal against a Forestry Commission decision.