Introduction
1.These explanatory notes relate to the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act which received Royal Assent on 30 March 2006. They have been prepared by the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (“Defra”) in order to assist the reader in understanding the Act. They do not form part of the Act and have not been endorsed by Parliament.
2.The notes need to be read in conjunction with the Act. They are not, and are not meant to be, a comprehensive description of the contents of the Act. So where a section or part of a section does not seem to require any explanation or comment, none is given.
3.In addition to these notes Defra has prepared four documents showing how certain Acts, or parts of Acts, have been amended by this Act. The Acts, or parts of Acts, are: Parts 1 to 3 of the National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act 1949; the Countryside Act 1968; the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981; and Part 7 of the Environment Protection Act 1990. The documents are available on Defra’s website, and are currently located at http://www.defra.gov.uk/rural/ruraldelivery/bill/default.
4.They are not published by authority and users should verify for themselves whether any provision contained in them is in force or whether it has been amended or repealed by subsequent legislation.