Charge waivers for species licensing
The consultation will close on 12 January 2025.
Our charging scheme for species licensing includes four charge waivers. We will continue to fund the four charge waivers through grant in aid.
For any of the waivers to apply to your application you may be asked to provide suitable evidence to support this.
We will not charge for a species licence that comes under one or more of these waivers:
Waiver A – conservation, scientific, research or education
We will not charge for an application for a species licence if you are carrying out not-for-profit survey work or if your application is required to investigate a suspected offence.
No fee shall apply to an application for a species licence where in our view the principal objective is:
- the conservation of that protected species or their habitats
- the advancement of scientific understanding of protected species or their habitats
- education related to that protected species or their habitats
- maintaining or enhancing biodiversity or the resilience of ecosystems
- the maintenance or conservation of protected historic buildings or monuments
Waiver B - public safety, public health, or the prevention of serious damage to property
No fee shall apply to an application for a species licence where the objective is:
- maintaining the safety of the public
- preserving public health
- the prevention of the spread of disease
- preventing serious damage to property, including crops, livestock, and fisheries
Waiver C – licences relating to the control of Invasive Alien Species
No fee shall apply to any licence issued under Part 8 of The Invasive Alien Species (Enforcement and Permitting) Order 2019.
Waiver D – household developments and developments to provide facilities and access for disabled people
No fee shall apply to an application if you are carrying out lawful household development work, as defined in article 2 of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2012.
In addition, no fee shall apply to a licence for a species licence necessary to implement a development (whether or not it is also a householder development) that the relevant local planning authority have accepted as coming under the exception in Regulation 4 of The Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications and Site Visits) (Wales) Regulations 2015