Great-crested newt
Great crested newts are often encountered during development and it is an offence to kill, capture, or disturb them, or to damage or destroy their breeding ponds or terrestrial habitats (as newts spend a proportion of their life cycle in each).
A European protected species licence may be required before development affecting newts or newt habitat can start. Our specialists will advise regarding survey needs and can guide you through the complex licensing and mitigation process.
Newts can move considerable distances overland from breeding sites and ponds within 500m of a site boundary should be surveyed at the earliest opportunity if newts may be present. Survey is seasonally constrained to the period mid-March to mid-June, when adults are in breeding ponds.
A lengthy licence application process requires an accompanying 'method statement' describing how the population will be conserved post-development. Mitigation can involve barrier-fencing part or all of a development site, trapping and transporting animals to nearby pre-prepared receptor sites and creating new habitat (e.g. ponds).