Habitat condition is a measure of the state of a habitat. This is often linked to past and present management and land use. It is a way of measuring variation in the quality of habitat parcels of the same habitat type.

Condition sheets form a crucial part of any evidence base used to inform metric inputs. These should be provided to the consenting body or planning authority to support metric calculations. Assessors must use the appropriate condition assessment sheets for the habitats identified. Technical Annex 1: Condition Assessment Sheets and Methodology contains the condition sheets and detailed guidance on their application.

Some habitats are allocated a fixed condition score in the metric. These habitats do not require a condition assessment for the metric to be completed. It may still be appropriate to survey these habitats for species or other environmental importance

The ‘Fairly good’ or ‘Fairly poor’ condition categories are intermediate categories for site-specific features of condition not captured in the standard condition assessment. They should only be used through application of ecological expertise and any deviation from a standardised condition assessment must be explained against specific condition criterion. If used, these categories can only adjust the results of a standard metric condition assessment result one condition category above or below the categories achieved. For example, you cannot go from a standard outcome of ‘Poor’ to an intermediate category of ‘Fairly good ‘(nor from ‘Good’ to ‘Fairly poor’).

There is a separate condition assessment methodology for watercourses as set out in the watercourse unit module.