Great crested newt District Licensing Scheme

The District Licensing Scheme is an alternative to traditional mitigation licensing. It is up to the applicant to decide which licensing route to use. 

The local planning authority holds the district licence for great crested newts . Developers can work under this licence once planning permission is granted, subject to any conditions and obligations, instead of getting a separate, individual licence. NatureSpace Partnership operate the district licence held by Elmbridge Borough Council. 

Off-site compensation, monitoring and long-term habitat management is delivered by the Newt Conservation Partnership. Compensation effort is focused on key high-quality habitats as part of a landscape-scale conservation plan for great crested newts.

Impact risk maps

NatureSpace Partnership, in collaboration with local planning authorities, have created and maintain a very fine scale Impact Risk Zone Map for great crested newts, which identifies where they are likely to be found and is used to assess the likely impact of development and predict suitable habitat in which compensation can be targeted. See NatureSpace Partnership: Impact Risk Zone map for Elmbridge for more information. 

The Impact Risk Maps can be broken down into 5 zones:

• Black zones – nationally important sites with statutory protection for great crested newts. The District Licensing Scheme is not available as a licensing procedure in these areas.
• Red zones – contain suitable habitat and most important areas for great crested newts.
• Amber zones – contain suitable habitat and great crested newts are likely to be present.
• Green zones – moderate habitat suitability mean great crested newts may be present.
• White zones – low probability of great crested newts presence (but cannot be ruled out).

Higher risk areas

Where development is located in higher risk areas (the red and amber zones), planning applicants must demonstrate that the development proposal is unlikely to negatively impact great crested newts or their habitat. This can be done in one of 3 ways:

• demonstrating that newts are likely absent from the site (typically achieved by commissioning an ecological consultant to carry out a site assessment)
• applying to Natural England for a traditional or standard licence - this can be done after planning permission is received 
• joining the NatureSpace Partnership District Licensing Scheme

District Licence and Biodiversity Net Gain

Users of the District Licence scheme can also benefit from the integrated Biodiversity Net Gain package managed by NatureSpace and the Newt Conservation Partnership. See NatureSpace Partnership: Biodiversity Net Gain for information.