UK Statutory Instrument SI 2024 England

The Management of Hedgerows (England) Regulations 2024

These Regulations make provision for the protection of hedgerows on agricultural land.

Read it on legislation.gov.uk (opens in a new tab)
Status
In Force
Penalty ceiling
Prosecution 3 of 18 obligations carry an unlimited fine. 1 carries different penalties and 14 have no criminal penalty — flagged in the list below.

Does it bind you?

Business-side roles with duties under this instrument.

Any Person5 Occupier1

Plus 12 duties on the regulator, Crown ministers and public bodies — folded into the section list below.

Other Acts binding the same actors

If a role above is yours, these are the other instruments that most often bind it.

Any Person — also bound by 2684 other Acts
Occupier — also bound by 246 other Acts
Highways Act 1980 23 duties

What it requires

Regulations creating concrete business duties or carrying penalties, grouped as the instrument is structured. Titles link to the source text — blue means you’re leaving for legislation.gov.uk.

Part 1

Introduction

0 of 2 sections shown
2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.001 Citation, commencement, extent and application
s.002 Interpretation
Part 2

Management of hedgerows

1 of 4 sections shown
s.006 Cutting and trimming of important hedgerows Prosecution
  • Observe the nesting bird season prohibition on hedgerow trimmingOccupier

Unlimited fine

3 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.003 Hedgerows to which these Regulations apply
s.004 Prescribed criteria for “important” hedgerows
s.005 General maintenance requirements for important hedgerows
Part 3

Offences

0 of 2 sections shown
2 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.007 Offences
s.008 Defence
Part 4

Enforcement

7 of 14 sections shown
s.009 Enforcement Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must enforce hedgerow management requirementsStatutory regulator
s.010 Civil sanctions Prosecution
  • Breach of hedgerow management regulationsAny Person

Unlimited fine

s.011 Non-compliance penalty Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator may impose monetary penalties for failing to fix hedgerow breachesStatutory regulator
s.012 Enforcement cost recovery notices Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator may recover enforcement costs following a breach noticeStatutory regulator
s.015 Appeals Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Tribunal must determine appeals against hedgerow enforcement noticesTribunal / Court
s.018 Consultation on guidance Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must consult before publishing hedgerow enforcement guidanceStatutory regulator
s.021 Right to enter and inspect: supplementary provisions Prosecution
  • Obstruct an inspector checking hedgerow managementAny Person

Fine up to £1,000

7 other sections in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.013 Recovery of payments
s.014 Withdrawing or amending a notice
s.016 Guidance as to use of civil sanctions and enforcement of relevant offences
s.017 Guidance as to use of non-compliance penalties
s.019 Publication of enforcement action
s.020 Right to enter and inspect
s.022 Powers of entry and examination etc.
Part 5

Review

0 of 1 section shown
1 other section in this Part — procedural and definitional
s.023 Review
Schedules

Schedules

10 of 13 shown
s.sch001 Contents of a stop notice Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must include specific information in hedgerow stop noticesStatutory regulator
s.sch001 Appeals Regulated
  • Appeal a hedgerow stop notice to the First-tier TribunalAny Person
s.sch001 Completion certificates Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must issue completion certificate when stop notice is complied withStatutory regulator
s.sch001 Compensation Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must compensate for unreasonable stop noticesStatutory regulator
s.sch001 Offences Prosecution
  • Failure to comply with a hedgerow stop noticeAny Person

Unlimited fine

s.sch002 Imposition of a variable monetary penalty, compliance notice or restoration notice Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator may issue fines or notices for hedgerow offencesStatutory regulator
s.sch002 Notice of intent Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must issue a 'notice of intent' before taking enforcement actionStatutory regulator
s.sch002 Final notice Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulator must issue a final decision notice regarding hedgerow requirementsStatutory regulator
s.sch002 Content of final notice Regulated
Other duties (1) — Crown / regulator
  • Regulators must provide specific details in final enforcement noticesStatutory regulator
s.sch002 Appeals against a final notice Regulated
  • Appeal a final notice regarding hedgerow managementAny Person
3 other schedules
s.sch001 Stop notices
s.sch002 Notice of intent: representations, objections and undertakings
s.sch002 Criminal proceedings

Help complying

Guvnor’s practical routes through this instrument.

Check permissions for felling trees and removing hedgerows

Quick check covering felling licences, TPOs, conservation areas, and hedgerow regulations. Determine what permissions you need before carrying out tree or hedgerow …

Starting farming: complete compliance journey

New farmers: everything you need to register, comply, and access funding - from CPH numbers to environmental schemes. Follow this step-by-step journey …

Failed a farm inspection: what to do next

What to do when you receive a non-compliance notice from a farm inspection. Covers understanding your notice, your rights, taking corrective action, …

Regulations that apply to your farm

A quick decision-tree navigator that helps you identify which regulations apply to your specific farm based on what you keep, grow, and …

Start an agriculture business

Set up and register a farming or agricultural business - from choosing your structure to registering land and getting support

Farm compliance calendar

Month-by-month calendar of key farm compliance deadlines covering SFI scheme declarations, TB testing windows, NVZ closed periods, scheme payments, and tax filing. …
5 more guides that reference this instrument
Meet your gardening and landscaping duties Remove or manage hedgerows lawfully Understand farm rules after cross-compliance ended Understanding nature conservation law on farmland in England Prepare for a farm inspection

Duty extraction and severity labels are Guvnor’s analysis of the instrument, not the instrument itself. Always verify against the linked source text.