For anyone working on new development, developers in England will need to be aware of the potential environmental impact their development could have on native protected species such as The Great Crested Newt.

Within this classification, the Great Crested Newt (Triturus cristatus) is an animal with protected status. Existing legislature means you can be fined or prosecuted for disturbing newts in their habitat.

This guide from Ecology By Design provides guidelines for what to expect from a great crested newt survey.

Contact a member of our team from Ecology by Design today if you think you need a great created newt survey on site.

How to identify a great crested newt

Determining the species of newt is important, with three species commonly found in the UK:

Smooth newt (sometimes called common newt) (Lissotriton vulgaris)
Palmate newt (Lissotriton helveticus)
Great crested newt

Great crested newt identification

The great crested newt is the UK’s largest native newt species and is typically jet black or olive green. They can also be identified by their white warts, and bright orange belly with black spots.

Additionally, during the breeding season, the males have a wavy crest along their back and a white-blue tail stripe.

Great Crested Newt Habitat

As GCNs are amphibians, they spend their time both on land and in water. They generally spend more time on land, however, during the breeding season, they frequent standing water or ponds more often for breeding purposes.

In terms of habitation throughout the year, they prefer:

Woodland
Rank grassland
Scrub
Grasslands and woodland
Hedges
Dry stone walls
Ditches/ culverts
Gardens / allotments

The life cycle of a Great Crested Newt

The mating season of a Great Crested Newt (GCN) is April – May. GCN prefer to breed in still open water areas (such as ponds).
After mating, the females will lay hundreds of eggs onto the leaves of pond plants. Each egg is individually wrapped in a leaf for protection.
The immature newts hatch from their eggs after four weeks and may emerge from the pond by August.
GCN take about 2 – 4 years to reach maturity at which point they can breed.
Adult newts can live for up to 15 years.
The adult males will stay around the breeding area until as late as October. In September, GCN begin the hibernation process, and find appropriate places to hibernate such as beneath trees, roots, log piles or within burrows. They will typically remain in hibernation until February.

You are much less likely to find newts in areas of hard ground, main roads or motorways, rivers or large brooks, or arable land. A great crested newt habitat will likely be somewhere with softer ground with standing water or ponds nearby, which is why if there is a pond within 500m of your potential development site, it is certainly worth looking into having a survey undertaken.

Why does it matter if newts are present?

When planning applications for developments and making decisions, planning authorities, by law, will have to check that the development doesn’t impact newts.

In fact, it must be proven that the development achieves one of the following things if a newt presence is confirmed, with no satisfactory alternative to adapt plans:

The development needs to:

Preserve public health / public safety
Provide imperative reasons of overriding public interest

Do you need a licence for a survey to be carried out?

Ecologists carrying out GCN surveys need to each hold or be an accredited agent of someone holding a personal Class licence to survey for the species. They have to undergo training before they can get the licence to show they are competent.

What is included in a great crested newt survey?

A Great Crested Newt Survey will normally comprise of two parts. The initial assessment includes a standard assessment of the given area, including an assessment referred to as a Habitat Suitability Index. (HSI) A HSI can indeed be carried out at any time of the year, however, it is advised to carry them out within peak breeding times (Mid March to Mid June). It is at this stage that any ponds are identified as having potential to support newts. Various methods of survey are conducted at this point, in order to establish the presence of newts and the likely population size.

Traditional survey methods include:

Funnel/ bottle tapping
Overnight survey by torchlight
Netting
Egg searches of submerged aquatic vegetation

Pitfall traps can also be used to establish whether newts are present on site, however it’s important to be aware that such surveys and actions must be carried out by qualified ecologists. There are regulations in place, meaning that if you are unauthorised to carry out such practices and are found doing so, this could incur a heavy fine or potential prison sentence.

It’s important to note that one traditional survey isn’t enough to prove GCN absence. Four surveys are needed to prove absence and where present six surveys are needed to give more steer on the numbers present. It is also necessary that all such surveys are carried out in the breeding period where newts are far more likely to inhabit the pond (Mid March to mid June).

Don’t forget….

Timescales are something to be particularly aware of, as there are seasonal constraints on both the survey and species and mitigation. You do not want to miss the boat for these as this could affect your entire project.

This is why it is worth considering the potential for newt presence as early on in the process as possible.

What to do if you find a great crested newt

If you find a great crested newt, then you will need to put in place the necessary precautionary measures to ensure no further harm is done to the habitat, shelter, breeding or resting site.

If evidence of a newt habitat is discovered, then actions must be undertaken to ensure minimal detrimental impact occurs.

The first option is to adapt existing development plans to ensure newt habitats aren’t disturbed. This could include:

Adjusting the siting of the development, to create buffer zones around habitats / connecting features such as hedges
Preventing permanent access to dangerous areas such as main roads
Redesign or adaptation of drainage systems
Adjusting the siting of development to create buffer zones around habitats/ connecting features

If the survey confirms the presence of great crested newts, and the proposed development is likely to result in ‘significant adverse impact’ on newts and / or their breeding place / shelter, then a mitigation scheme must be created.

Great crested newt mitigation

The second option, if nothing can be done to alter the development, is put in place suitable mitigation plans. Mitigation refers to the process of considerations that are made to design out any potential conflict of the new site. Essentially, a plan is put into place to retain and protect the newt friendly habitat features to minimise disturbance. Ecology by Design can carry out such Mitigation services, with experienced ecologists handling every part of the process.

This may involve:

Pond design
Construction
Enhancement / improvement to a habitat
Providing native aquatic / marginal plants
Fish rescue / removal
Capturing and translocating GCN to better habitats
Adjusting the siting of the development, to create buffer zones around habitats / connecting features such as hedges
Preventing permanent access to dangerous areas such as main roads
Liaising with regulatory bodies throughout the process

Mitigation for great crested newts is usually conducted under a project licence known as a Mitigation Licence which is issued by Natural England in England.

How do you get a project licence?

You can obtain a Mitigation Licence for your development by contacting a licensed ecologist. The licensed ecologist will do surveys of your site and surrounding ponds to inform the development licence and complete an application form, method statement, work schedule and where necessary a reasoned statement on your behalf. The licence allows works which would otherwise be unlawful to lawfully proceed.

District licence

Some planning authorities now hold district-wide licences to allow strategic delivery of GCN conservation. Securing a district licence for your site can be a faster and cheaper way to proceed with a planning application. Your ecologist will be able to advise on whether this, traditional or other modern approaches such as eDNA surveys detailed below are most appropriate for you.

eDNA sampling techniques

In some instances, instead of the traditional survey methods detailed above you can collect water samples from a body of water in order to confirm the status of newts through the presence or absence of their DNA. Newts shed material into the water that can be used for analysis, such as saliva, urine, faeces, and skin cells. Sampling can determine the absence of newts quickly and cheaply, which is why many licensed ecologists including Ecology by Design back the scheme and practice eDNA where appropriate.

For more information about the specifics of eDNA sampling, click here.

What is the legislation behind GCNs?

Great crested newt legislature states that it is an offence to:

Intentionally kill, capture or injure a great crested newt
Intentionally or recklessly damage / destroy / disturb the shelter of a GCN, or disrupt access to their protected and frequented areas.
Damage /destroy a breeding / resting site
Possess a great crested newt unless acquired lawfully
Sell / barter/ transport any part of a GCN including their eggs.

Great Crested Newt protection

Why are newts protected?

GCN are protected by law and are a species of principal importance (SPI) in England. Their conservation status as highly protected is due to their decline in Europe as well as England, as a result of intense agriculture which has led to loss and disruption of many of their habitats. Great crested newt legislature includes their protected status under Schedule 2 of the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 (as amended), and Schedule 5 of the Wildlife and Countryside Act of 1981 (as amended).

What is the punishment for harming them?

If you conduct any of the above offences you can incur a fine of up to £5,000 per offence or be given a prison sentence of up to 6 months.

If you are in need of professional ecology services, get in touch. Ecology by Design can offer ecology services including but not limited to Great Crested Newt Surveys, Mitigation services and more.