July is upon us and we are in the middle of ‘newt season’ – which can be a stressful time of year for developers dealing with great crested newts on their sites.

At this time of year under standard licensing approaches, extensive programmes of pitfall trapping, which involve intensive efforts by ecologists using plastic fencing and traps for weeks or months to clear a site of newts are undertaken.

These mitigation activities carry numerous challenges and costs, creating uncertainty about when a site can be ‘unlocked’ and ready for development.

District Licensing offers an answer to the seasonal delays which plague other traditional newt licensing options.

Critically, no great crested newt surveys are required to join the District Licence – so if you missed this Spring’s survey window, you still have access to a quick newt licensing route for your development. Instead, our Impact Risk Zone map instantly identifies whether your development site is at risk from great crested newts. Our highly accurate model is accepted by Natural England, planning authorities and NGOs.

In most cases, the District Licence does not require any mitigation to be undertaken. That means that once you’re covered by District Licensing, you can avoid the pitfalls of trapping (!) and skip straight to site clearance. Even if your development does fall into a high-risk ‘Red Zone’, the District Licence will drastically reduce mitigation requirements and any associated delays.

District Licensing is about providing a simple and easy solution to manage great crested newts on development sites – made possible because the scheme creates wonderful habitats off-site. That’s one less thing for developers to worry about – and you can have peace of mind knowing that all the newt habitat we create is managed and monitored for a minimum of 25 years by our expert partners at the Newt Conservation Partnership.

“The scheme allows developers to move on in the most cost-effective way, saving time, whilst following the regulations. We would highly recommend it.”

Astrum Homes, a developer of high-quality dwellings in the South Midlands,

Talk to NatureSpace today for a bespoke consultation

Our dedicated customer service team will identify your quickest route to start development.

We offer case-by-case advice to developers, free of charge – helping you identify key timelines and programme considerations to ensure you can secure the earliest start date. 

As Astrum Homes recently said, “the team offer a seamless process from initial contact through to fruition. NatureSpace are very helpful and informative, so you know what to expect at every stage”, whilst Rob O’Carroll of Bellway Homes commented that “the NatureSpace Team were extremely helpful in guiding us through the process”.

To find out more and answer your licensing needs, simply pick up the phone to speak with one of our specialists on 01865 688307 or simply fill out our enquiry form for a or free quote (within 3 working days).