Here at NatureSpace we work with a number of clients including developers, homeowners, planning agents and ecological consultants.
The following testimonials from some of our clients to showcase their experiences within this innovative scheme.
Bellway Homes, was creating a development project of over 100 dwellings with associated open space and woodland in Wallingford, south Oxfordshire. Work on the development was due to start in September 2020, which falls outside of the newt survey season – running from mid-March to June.
Under standard licensing, the developer would need to wait another six months in order to complete their survey requirements – and would have needed to provide extensive newt survey information as part of the process.
Fortunately, the developer chose to use the District Licencing Scheme (operated by NatureSpace) after learning about it from South Oxfordshire District Council. By choosing the scheme, Bellway Homes benefitted from a quick, simple, certain and sustainable solution. It proved to be crucial to development starting on time and was much smoother than the traditional licensing route. What’s more, no newt survey information needed to be provided – leaving the developer free to focus on delivering the development.
Under our scheme, Bellway Homes would have been free to move any newts found on site and carry on with work. This simple benefit is a key attribute in supporting developers stick to building timetables.
Thanks to our District Licencing Scheme, Bellway Homes was able to choose a preferable approach for licensing and could start work as planned in May 2021.
By entering the scheme, the developer created conservation benefits for great crested newts and the wider environment. Their money went straight into a long-term, landscape-scale conservation strategy creating aquatic and terrestrial habitat, delivered by our not-for-profit conservation partner the Newt Conservation Partnership. Our innovative approach lets developers like Bellway Homes get on with the job at hand, all while ensuring a sustainable future for great crested newts.
“The NatureSpace Team were extremely helpful in guiding us through the process. Their courteous staff were very efficient in providing the necessary documentation to facilitate an expedient solution to dealing with the great crested newt matter affecting our residential development site and planning application.”
