Form

Guidance: Landscape Recovery complaints and reconsideration of decisions

Updated 22 January 2024

Applies to England

Make a complaint or provide feedback

Defra and its partners are committed to good customer service. Your feedback is welcome because it helps us to improve.

If you’d like to provide feedback please use the relevant organisation’s complaints procedure:

• Natural England

• Environment Agency

• Defra

Request a reconsideration of decisions

You can request a reconsideration of a Landscape Recovery decision:

• not to offer you financial assistance
• relating to a breach of grant conditions or regulations

You can do this for decisions made:

• after you have submitted an application (the application stage)
• following further development of your proposal (the enrolment stage)
• as you develop your project deliverables (the development stage)

You must make the request in writing within 60 days of the decision.

Where the reconsideration is related to the application stage, we will only consider information submitted prior to the deadline for submission. You cannot submit new information or documentation. This is because Landscape Recovery is a competitive process and allowing submission of further information could offer an advantage over other applicants.

Where the reconsideration is related to the enrolment stage or the development stage, or a breach of grant conditions or regulations, you may provide additional information to support the request.

How to request a reconsideration

To make a request, you (or those acting for you) need to complete the Landscape Recovery reconsideration form at Landscape Recovery scheme: complaints and reconsiderations.

Send your completed form with any additional documents enclosed to [email protected].

After you submit your Landscape Recovery reconsideration form the organisation that took the decision will review your form. This will be either:

• Defra (in relation to the application stage)
• Environment Agency or Natural England (in relation to enrolment or development stages)

If the reconsideration relates to the application process, we will reconvene the evaluation panel that initially reviewed the bid. The panellists will then consider the concerns raised and decide whether to either uphold or change the original decision.

If the reconsideration relates to the enrolment or development stage, it will be dealt with separately and should be discussed with either the Environment Agency or Natural England reviewing your form.

Within 60 days of receiving your reconsideration form we will write to tell you:

• the results of the review
• whether the original decision has been upheld or changed
• the reasons for this

Appeal a reconsideration

If you’re unhappy with the results of a reconsideration, you can appeal the decision if:

• it was based on an error of fact

• it was wrong in law

• there has been a material procedural error

You must make your request for an appeal in writing within 60 days of the reconsideration decision.

You will need to email [email protected] confirming that you wish to submit an appeal.

The Landscape Recovery team will acknowledge your appeal by email within 5 working days.

An independent panel will consider your appeal. It will hold a hearing where you may present your case. The panel will then make a recommendation to the Defra minister.

The minister will consider the panel’s recommendations and make a final decision. You will receive the outcome of your appeal in writing.