Planning obligations for Special Protection Areas

We ask developers for contributions to mitigate the impact of new development on protected sites.

Following a significant decline in important bird species in Kent we have worked with Natural England to create Strategic Access Management and Monitoring Strategies (SAMMS) for protected sites.

Find out if your site is in a protected area 

If your site is in the SAMM area, we can only agree to a proposed development if we know that it won't harm the protected sites. You can show that your development will not harm these protected sites by contributing towards the mitigation measures for these areas.

Fees for Special Protection Areas

The amount you need to pay depends on the number of bedrooms proposed in the development and the Special Protection Area (SPA) that your site is in.

If your site affects both SPAs then you would need to pay a separate fee for each SPA.

The contribution is only paid for extra bedrooms in new properties (including holiday homes).

You can download our guidance on Special Protection Areas fees:

Developer contributions for the SPAs have allowed us to carry out bird and visitor surveys as part of the wider mitigation project, and have helped to fund Bird Wise.