Natural England
Details
If you are a developer proposing to develop land, you can pay to join a district level licensing scheme. If you join a scheme, you do not need to:
- carry out your own surveys
- plan and carry out mitigation work
District level licensing schemes operate in certain parts of England to better protect great crested newt populations. Schemes are operated by either:
- Natural England
- a local planning authority (LPA)
- a third party on behalf of the LPA
If a district level licensing scheme does not operate in your area, you must apply for an individual licence to carry out work that affects a GCN.
Join a Natural England-led scheme
You can apply to join a Natural England-led scheme if you have a development proposal in the following areas:
- Cambridgeshire
- Cheshire East, Cheshire West and Chester
- Essex
- Greater Manchester
- Kent and Medway
- Norfolk and Suffolk
- North Somerset and South Gloucestershire
- Shropshire (except Telford and Wrekin - see below)
- Somerset (excluding the former West Somerset district and Exmoor National Park)
- Swindon and Wiltshire
Use the guidance for developers and complete the forms to join the Natural England scheme.
Join a scheme in another area
Check if your development is in an area where you can join a NatureSpace Partnership-led scheme.
If you have a development proposal in Woking, you can apply to join the Woking organisation-level scheme run by Woking Borough Council. This is a different type of scheme licence.
If you have a development proposal in Telford and Wrekin, you can apply to join the Telford and Wrekin organisation-level scheme run by Telford and Wrekin Council. For further information contact Ecological Data Services at eds@telford.gov.uk.
Natural Englands interim guidance for LPAs
Guidance is available to help you assess development proposals that will affect great crested newts (GCN).
You can get this guidance if:
- Natural England leads a district level licensing scheme in your area
- you hold a district level licence operated by Nature Space Partnership
To see the guidance, or if you have any questions contact gcndll@naturalengland.org.uk.
The current standing advice for GCN does not apply to developments using district level licensing (DLL).