On 1st August 2019, Natural England granted great crested newt District Licences to nine further local planning authorities as part of the NatureSpace Scheme (to read more about this click here).
The District Licences offer developers across the South Midlands Region stretching form Bedford Borough Council in the east to Forest of Dean in the West, an alternative route for licensing for development works that may impact great crested newts and/or their habitat.
In an increase in scope of the types of development projects that are able to access this quicker and simpler licensing option:
- the District Licences are now available for developments that have been granted planning permission on appeal or by the Secretary of State*;
- the scheme is now also an option for development projects for supporting infrastructure, as well as for housing and employment projects.
This means that the District Licence approach can now also be used by developers for projects such as:
- Physical Infrastructure
Including but not limited to: roads, cycle routes, rail network, bridges, tunnels, carparks, street lighting, utilities (gas/electric/energy/water treatment and sewage) and flood prevention
- Social Infrastructure
Including but not limited to: educational, healthcare, community, religious and cultural facilities.
- Green Infrastructure
Including but not limited to: parks and gardens, amenity greenspace, provisions for young people and children, outdoor sports, allotments, cemeteries, waterways and the natural environment (e.g. green corridors/recreational links etc).
To date, we have received over 30 enquiries and helped four developers to achieve authorisation under a great crested newt District Licence in the recently licensed planning authorities in Gloucestershire, Oxfordshire and South Northamptonshire. The habitat compensation delivered by the Newt Conservation Partnership has included the creation and restoration of 15 ponds and associated terrestrial habitat. To keep up to date with the work undertaken and see images of the habitat creation created by the Newt Conservation Partnership, you can follow here.
Picture credit: Robinswood Country Park, Gloucester, Dr Andrew Buxton, Newt Conservation Partnership
Our most recent updates for the district Licence scheme are available here, within our November News Letter.
To find out more contact us on 01865 688307 or info@naturespaceuk.com
If you’d like to make an enquiry about a particular project – please click here
*Please contact us to discuss developments that have been granted planning permission by appeal or by Secretary of State.
