Environmental Compliance Services
Practical compliance support built around the specific legislation that actually governs invasive plants and waste in the UK, so your obligations under the Wildlife & Countryside Act, the Environmental Protection Act, community protection notices and species control agreements are met and evidenced, not guessed at.
Schedule 9 Compliance Audits
Site assessments against Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 Schedule 9 to identify species it is an offence to cause to spread.
Duty of Care Documentation
Waste transfer records and carrier checks under Section 34 of the Environmental Protection Act 1990.
Community Protection Notice Response
Survey and remediation plans responding to CPNs issued under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014.
Species Control Agreements
Support negotiating and delivering species control agreements and orders under the Infrastructure Act 2015.
Regulatory Correspondence Support
Drafting factual responses to local authority or Environment Agency enforcement correspondence.
Ongoing Compliance Monitoring
Scheduled re-inspection and reporting so you can demonstrate an active, documented compliance programme.
How the works run
- 1Legal position reviewWe identify which legislation applies to your site, species present and any notices already served.
- 2Site surveyA detailed survey records species, extent, boundary proximity and photographic evidence.
- 3Compliance planWe set out the actions, timescale and standard needed to satisfy the relevant notice or duty.
- 4DeliveryTreatment, removal or containment work is carried out and documented as it happens.
- 5Evidence packA final report and photographic record is provided to close out the notice or demonstrate ongoing compliance.
The legislation that actually applies
Schedule 9 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 makes it an offence to plant or otherwise cause certain listed species, including Japanese knotweed, giant hogweed and Himalayan balsam, to grow in the wild, which in practice means allowing them to spread beyond your boundary can itself be an offence, not merely a nuisance. Separately, the Environmental Protection Act 1990 Section 34 Duty of Care applies to any waste containing these species, since soil and plant material contaminated with Schedule 9 species is normally classified as controlled waste and must be consigned to a permitted facility, never spread or buried on site without proper assessment.
Notices, orders and agreements
Local authorities can issue a community protection notice under the Anti-social Behaviour, Crime and Policing Act 2014 where invasive weeds are having a detrimental effect on a neighbourhood, requiring specified works within a set timescale, and failure to comply is a criminal offence carrying a fine. Where knotweed or similar species cross land ownership boundaries and cooperation cannot be agreed, the Infrastructure Act 2015 allows for a species control agreement, or ultimately a species control order, compelling treatment. We help landowners and managing agents respond to notices already served and, just as often, get ahead of them with a documented treatment programme before enforcement action is considered.
Compliance & accreditation
For how we identify species, price surveys and stand behind our work, see our approach FAQ.
Get compliance support
Send us the notice, correspondence or site details and we will advise on the survey and evidence you need.