Water voles: apply for a strategic licence
Source: gov.uk (2025-06-20)

Express your interest in applying for a strategic licence for work that affects water voles in Norfolk, Suffolk, Essex, Thurrock or Southend-on-Sea.

If you’re planning activities on a site where water voles may live, you may be eligible to apply for a strategic licence.

A strategic licence is a new type of licence being developed by Natural England to:

improve the conservation status of water voles by addressing the biggest threats and opportunities across the landscape

make the regulatory process easier and more efficient for applicants

You need a licence if your work will affect water voles. This includes if you may need to:

disturb them while they are in a place they use for shelter or protection

damage or destroy places they use for shelter or protection

stop water voles accessing places they use for shelter or protection

take them

kill or injure them (additional restrictions apply)

This strategic licence is an alternative to a water vole mitigation or class licence (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/water-vole-licences) and offers some advantages. With a strategic licence you:

do not need to carry out your own surveys of water voles

get clarity earlier on your eligibility, and mitigation and compensation requirements

benefit from increased flexibility during licensed works in most areas

This strategic licence is being trialled. There may be changes to the licence and application process in the future.

Eligibility

You can apply for this licence if:

your project site is based in Norfolk, Suffolk Essex, Thurrock or Southend-on-Sea

the purpose of your project is for reasons of overriding public interest (including development) or to preserve public health and safety

If your project does not meet the criteria, you may be eligible for other water vole licences (https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/water-vole-licences).

We will use a risk zone map to assess licence and compensation requirements. You can view and download the risk zone map for water voles from ArcGIS Online (https://www.arcgis.com/apps/mapviewer/index.html?panel=gallery&layers=9701dd3b93d641fa9c98be4b56ceab8c) or the Natural England Open Data Geoportal (https://naturalengland-defra.opendata.arcgis.com/datasets/Defra::water-vole-risk-zones-east-anglia/about).

Express your interest

If you are eligible and interested in applying for a strategic species licence for water voles, complete our expression of interest form.

Start now (https://submit-form-to-defra.service.gov.uk/form/express-an-interest-in-applying-for-a-strategic-licence-for-water-voles)

If you need a version of this form in a more accessible format, or need help filling in the form, email xxx@xxx.xx (mailto:xxx@xxx.xx). Please tell us what format you need. It will help us if you say what assistive technology you use.

We will assess your expression of interest. We will contact you within 3 working days and invite the strongest projects to make a full application for a licence.

Find out how Natural England will use your personal information (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/natural-england-privacy-notices/strategic-licensing-pilot-privacy-notice) when you submit an expression of interest.

Compensation costs

You will need to evidence an agreed financial contribution toward compensation to qualify for a licence. All costs will be confirmed before any payment is required. This requirement will be replaced by a discretionary charge in the future.

Licence costs

There is a set licence fee of £700 (exempt from VAT). You do not need to pay the licence fee if the purpose of your development is to preserve public health and safety. Read the terms and conditions for paying for a wildlife licence (https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/terms-and-conditions-for-paying-for-a-wildlife-licence).

There are currently no discretionary charges for this licence. We plan to introduce discretionary charges for this licence in the future.

How to pay

We will send you an invoice if we approve your application.

You can pay by:

electronic bank transfer

debit or credit card by telephone (except American Express)

cheque

Your invoice will give details for these payment methods.

You need to include the invoice number with your payment so we can match it to your application.

VAT does not apply to charges for wildlife licences.

We accept purchase orders. If you want us to add a purchase number to your invoice, you must include it in the invoice details in the application form.

Future of the scheme

We will evaluate the application process and the licence and use any insights to improve the scheme in the future. If the trial period is successful, the strategic licence could be introduced in other parts of England.