Skip to main content
Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs An Roinn Talmhaíochta, Comhshaoil agus Gnóthaí Tuaithe Depairtment o' Fairmin, Environment an' Kintra Matthers

Main navigation

  • Home
  • Topics
  • Publications
  • Consultations
  • Contact

Translation help

Translate this page

Select a language

  • Arabic — عربي
  • Chinese (Simplified) — 中文简体
  • Chinese (Traditional) — 中文繁體
  • Dutch — Nederlands
  • Filipino — Filipino
  • French — Français
  • German — Deutsch
  • Hungarian — Magyar
  • Irish — Gaeilge
  • Italian — Italiano
  • Latvian — Latviešu
  • Lithuanian — Lietuvių kalba
  • Polish — Polski
  • Portuguese — Português
  • Romanian — Română
  • Russian — Русский
  • Slovak — Slovenčina
  • Spanish — Español
  • Ukrainian — Українська
  • Duties of Public Bodies concerning ASSIs

    Topics:
    • Land and Landscapes, 
    • Biodiversity, 
    • Areas of Special Scientific Interest

    ASSIs are designated under The Environment (Northern Ireland) 2002 (as amended) due to the area’s flora, fauna or geological, physiographical or site other site selection features. The Environment Order places certain legal duties and requirements on all Public Bodies.

    In Northern Ireland a Public Body includes a Northern Ireland department, a department of the Government of the United Kingdom, a district council, a statutory undertaker or any other body established or constituted under a statutory provision.

    In general terms all Public Bodies have a duty to protect and enhance the features for which an ASSI has been designated. This applies to the normal exercise of the Public Body’s functions.

    The Northern Ireland Environment Agency (NIEA) has an online service for operations and activities requiring assent in Areas of Special Scientific Interest.

    This online assent service makes assent applications more convenient, efficient and straightforward. It is linked into NIEA’s Natural Environment map viewer, whereby applicants can easily generate maps, ‘redline’ the area where activity will be carried out and attach it to the application form.

    • Guidance for Public Bodies/Competent Authorities
    • Request for Assent to carry out a notifiable operation on an ASSI

    Related content

    • Appointment of a Chairperson and Deputy Chairperson to the Council for Nature Conservation and the Countryside (CNCC)
    • ASSI Guidance for Public Bodies/Competent Authorities
    • ASSI notifiable operations
    • Introduction to ASSIs
    Share this page Share on Facebook (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share on X (external link opens in a new window / tab) Share by email (external link opens in a new window / tab)

    Department footer links

    • Crown copyright
    • Terms and Conditions
    • Privacy
    • Cookies
    • Accessibility
    • The Northern Ireland Executive
    • The Executive Office
    • Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs
    • Department for Communities
    • Department for Education
    • Department for the Economy
    • Department of Finance
    • Department for Infrastructure
    • Department for Health
    • Department of Justice
    • nidirect.gov.uk — the official government website for Northern Ireland citizens