Local councils and developers have been recognised for their commitments with great crested newt conservation in the inaugural NatureSpace awards.
There were three winners chosen from more than 40 participating local authorities in England.
The awards were set up to acknowledge the considerable efforts of local authorities and developers to embed the District Licensing Scheme in their area. The great crested newt population has declined dramatically in the UK over the last 50 years. Despite protection under UK and European wildlife law, numbers are still declining, and habitat loss is their biggest threat.
The NatureSpace Scheme, approved by Natural England, speeds up development delivery by providing an alternative way of working under a great crested newt licence, with no need to wait for the short seasonal survey window.
Milton Keynes Council won the Collaboration Award given in recognition of the council’s collaborative relationship with NatureSpace Partnership.
Milton Keynes Council has held a great crested newt District Licence since 2018, which has enabled the impacts caused by developments to be recognised, and in turn, fund landscape-scale conservation freshwater biodiversity.
Interim Cabinet Member for the Public Realm, Cllr Paul Trendall said, “We’re committed to increasing biodiversity within Milton Keynes. We’re very proud of our outstanding green infrastructure and will continue to create environments that protect species and make Milton Keynes a green and pleasant place for everyone to enjoy.”
South Oxfordshire District Council and Vale of the White Horse District Council were presented with an award for their consistent approach when dealing with planning applications and development. To date, over 40 development projects have been authorised to use South Oxfordshire District Councils and Vale of the White Horse District Council’s District Licence.
Cllr Bethia Thomas, Vale of White Horse District Council Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member Community Engagement, said: “I was delighted to be able to visit a new pond created by NatureSpace Partnership and to accept the award showing the councils’ commitment to conserving great crested newts – creating and enhancing their habitats across the district.”
Wealden District Council was awarded the ‘Up and Coming LPA Award’ in the 2022 Awards for its enthusiastic and adept adoption of the District Licensing Scheme. Since joining the scheme in October 2021, Wealden District Council has successfully embedded it into its practices and has ensured a smooth roll out across the local authority area. In this time, they have contributed significantly to the landscape-scale conservation freshwater biodiversity in the Wealden district.
Ann Newton, Wealden District Council’s portfolio holder for planning and development, said: “I am proud that Wealden District Council has won this award. We live in an area of outstanding natural beauty, which is home to many protected species. It is important to keep conservation within the area thriving and encourage new growth.”
Dr Tom Tew, Chief Executive of NatureSpace, said: “A huge well done to all of this year’s winners. It is a pleasure to celebrate the very best councils from across the UK who have embedded the District Licencing Scheme within their planning authority area.
“Since 2018, we have been supporting developers with a simple and risk-free solution to meeting their great crested newt obligations. The scheme offers a much quicker, year-round solution for assessing sites, avoiding survey season restrictions and unforeseen delays.
The 2022 Gold Supporter Awards for Conservation went to Bellway Homes Limited and Dandara Limited.
The awards were presented as recognition of their support to the conservation of great crested newts at a landscape level, by opting to use the District Licensing Scheme.
As a result of using the NatureSpace Scheme, the developers have directly contributed to the creation and long-term management of high-quality habitat for great crested newts and, indeed, for freshwater biodiversity in general.
We are looking forward to continuing our work in 2023 and celebrating next year’s awards.
