Natural England Wants Access to Your Land: What Members Should Know
Quick summary
Natural England contractor XSG is asking members for access to land for the England Ecosystem Survey.
Natural England’s FAQs state in writing that survey data will not be used for compliance purposes.
Before granting access, agree visit arrangements, sensitive areas, insurance, consents and the data you will receive.
The MA is seeking clarification on whether findings could inform SSSI decisions, and wants advance notice of surveys.
Some members are reporting receiving requests for access to their land as part of Natural England’s England Ecosystem Survey. The Moorland Association has reviewed one of the requests and its accompanying Frequently Asked Questions (the letter and FAQs are shown below - click on images to enlarge) and has sought clarification from Natural England about how the findings may subsequently be used.
What is the survey about?
The survey collects information about soils, vegetation, habitats and landscape features to build a national and regional picture of England’s environment. Land is sampled within randomly selected one-kilometre squares representing different landscape types. Receiving a request does not, in itself, indicate that Natural England has concerns about an estate’s management.
The letters arrive on what appears to be Natural England headed paper. However, they are being sent by a company called XSG. The letter asks landowners to respond to XSG, which is arranging access on Natural England’s behalf.
The request we reviewed seeks permission for surveys between April 2027 and March 2028, with a response requested by 30 November 2026. Members should check the dates and arrangements in their own correspondence.
Will the survey be used for compliance purposes?
The most significant reassurance appears in the FAQs. In response to the question, “Will survey data be used for compliance purposes, e.g. to check condition of an SSSI?”, Natural England states:
“No, data will not be used for compliance purposes.”
The explanation accompanying that assurance says the sampling is designed to support national and regional analysis of ecosystem condition, rather than assessments of individual landholdings.
This is a useful written assurance. Members should retain the FAQs alongside the access request, their permission and any agreed conditions.
What should members do before granting access?
Good environmental evidence matters to the management of our moorlands. The information supplied provides a constructive basis for considering participation, with the proposed work and practical arrangements understood and agreed beforehand.
Some of the points below reflect assurances already contained in the survey pack; others are additional safeguards the MA recommends members request and agree before granting access.
These are reasonable safeguards
During the hen harrier brood-management trial, Natural England required MA staff visiting potential sites on SSSIs to provide formal access plans and written permissions from landowners and, where relevant, graziers and sporting tenants, and to carry copies of the relevant licence with them.
Members are entitled to expect comparable standards of clarity, accountability and care when Natural England or its contractors seek access for survey work, with safeguards proportionate to the activities proposed.
Before granting access, members should:
Check the map and proposed activities. Establish what land is included, what work permission would cover and whether the person granting access is authorised to do so.
Agree how visits will be arranged. Identify an estate contact and ask for advance notice and agreement on timing, access routes and vehicle use. Confirm who will attend and how surveyors will identify themselves. The pack envisages up to four visits for different survey purposes.
Identify sensitive areas and periods. These may include nesting locations, breeding periods, livestock movements and scheduled estate activities. The FAQs expressly invite landowners to identify areas and times to avoid. Ask the organiser to acknowledge agreed arrangements in writing.
Confirm practical safeguards and insurance. Ask who is responsible for the work and for confirmation of appropriate insurance cover. Check biosecurity requirements, arrangements for soil sampling and reinstatement, and how any damage will be addressed. The documents describe cleaning footwear and replacing disturbed soil and turf.
Check any necessary consents, licences and assessments. Where proposed activities could affect protected habitats or species, ask what site-specific assessment has been undertaken to avoid harm or disturbance. Ask whether any separate Natural England consent or wildlife licence is required and, if so, request the relevant documentation. Seek clarification from the local Natural England Area Team where necessary. Landowner permission to enter does not itself establish that all necessary permissions for the work are in place.
Keep a copy of your access permission. Retain the completed landowner access consent form supplied with the survey request, together with any agreed conditions on timing, routes and activities. Keep the accompanying FAQs, including the written assurance that data will not be used for compliance purposes.
Agree what data you will receive and when. Ask for a copy of the raw survey records relating to your land, including field observations, sampling locations, measurements and laboratory results when available, together with explanatory notes needed to interpret them. Request these in a usable electronic format, rather than only a general summary or PDF report. Agree a timetable for supplying field records after visits and laboratory results once processed, and ask for an opportunity to flag factual errors or provide relevant context.
How will the information be used?
The FAQs also explain that Natural England will own the data and may use it in other work, including analysis with partner organisations. Published data will not include details allowing specific land parcels to be identified. Some samples may be retained and reanalysed, including for environmental DNA.
What is the MA seeking to clarify?
One point remains to be clarified. The assurance about compliance does not expressly explain whether identifiable findings could inform future site-specific decisions, such as designating or extending an SSSI, or determining an application for consent. Nothing in the pack identifies designation as the purpose of this survey.
The MA has written to Natural England seeking clarification of that distinction and the circumstances and safeguards governing any such use. We will update this guidance when a response is received.
Putting Natural England’s partnership commitments into practice
Members will recall the difficulties surrounding the Natural England merlin survey earlier this year. In our letter of 30 April 2026, we highlighted its own strategic commitments to work “through and with others”, build partnerships and provide a better service to customers.
In its subsequent response, Natural England apologised for not engaging the Moorland Association at the outset.
Against that background, it is disappointing that the MA was not briefed in advance about this survey, so that we could help members understand the requests and raise any questions early. Partnership working should mean resolving foreseeable questions before landowners are asked to grant access.
We have renewed our request for advance notice of relevant survey programmes, together with standard letters, FAQs and consent forms. This would give practical effect to Natural England’s stated commitments to excellent customer service and strong collaboration, and help members make informed decisions about participation. We continue to press for this to become routine practice.
Contact the MA for further advice
This advice relates specifically to the England Ecosystem Survey and the information supplied with the request reviewed by the MA. Members receiving different wording, or who would like assistance understanding their own paperwork, are welcome to contact us before responding at info@moorlandassociation.org.
