The information on the LAA website is inaccurate.
Under ORS4 No.756, with a non-NPPL, you could
only exercise SEP Class Rating privileges restricted to identical terms as SSEA Class Rating privileges. No IMC, no night, for example. Pilots without JAA Medical Certificates may NOT exercise these privileges; if they do so then they will be flying illegally.
Unfortunately the original spirit of ORS4 No. 711 (the predecessor to ORS4 No. 816) was poorly drafted and had been misunderstood. The whole idea was to let pilots (who could no longer hold a JAA Medical) to
continue to fly without extra cost or paperwork - which meant that they had to hold a valid non-NPPL licence and SEP Class Rating issued by the CAA, plus a Medical Declaration. There was
never any intention to allow pilots
without a valid SEP Class Rating to use the ORS4 No. 711 / 756 exemption; they were to fly the SSEA GST and apply for the inclusion of an SSEA Class Rating in their non-NPPLs. But the "Where does it say you can't" brigade tried to ignore this....
Under ORS4 No.711/756, pilots had the option of revalidating a SEP Class Rating (exactly as under JAR-FCL) or of including a SSEA Class Rating and subsequently revalidating it under SSEA terms - which allow the flying to be spread over 24 months rather than being in the last 12 months of the Rating. But there were no difference in Rating privileges.
This was too complicated for some to understand and also risked pilots (who didn't understand the restrictions applying to SEP Class Ratings with Medical Declarations) flying illegally. So it has all now been simplified under ORS4 No.816. If your SEP Class Rating is still valid and you are flying with a valid non-NPPL and Medical Declaration, then there are no changes to your privileges. It just means that when the SEP Class Rating expires, you will now need an SSEA Class Rating - and the AIC will tell you how to do this.
There is no need to do anything until then! The LAA have been told (repeatedly) that ORS4 No. 816 allows this, but for some reason seem not to have understood, judging by your link.
See
http://www.caa.co.uk/docs/33/ORS4_816.pdf and note that the CAA have stated that
An appropriate Class Rating means one which gives the privilege to fly the aircraft concerned. This will be the applicable 'NPPL' Class Rating or an SEP Class Rating (with differences training if SLMG/Microlight privileges are also exercised).
SSEA flight time will
of course count towards SEP Class Rating revalidation - but unless you hold a JAA Medical Certificate you won't be able to revalidate or renew an SEP Class Rating. So if you've
chosen not to hold a JAA Medical Certificate, the consequences are now clearer.
The only people who need to change to a NPPL are those who cannot hold JAA Medical Certificates and whose licences have an expiry date as such licences cannot be re-issued unless the applicant holds a JAA Medical. 'Lifetime' UK PPL holders do not need to obtain NPPLs - the whole idea of ORS4 No.711/756/816 was to remove this previous need.
Seems to me this is going to drive a significant number of PPLs back into the arms AMEs and increase flying costs when we dont need it for no demonastrable safety benefit.
If it's their
choice not to hold a JAA Medical, then the consequences will also be theirs.