Following Natural England’s recent launch of a new way of addressing the presence of Great Crested Newt on sites in Kent known as ‘District Licensing’, the scheme has also now been opened in Cheshire. District Licensing largely negates the need to submit survey data for this species with planning applications. This can overcome seasonal survey restrictions which can beset schemes and allows sites to be moved forward out of season where no data is held by the developer on local Great Crested Newt populations.

District licensing will work in Cheshire in the same way it does so in Kent. For further information please click here.

Other District Licensing schemes are in operation across the authorities of Woking, Milton Keynes, Aylesbury Vale, Bedford Borough, Central Bedfordshire, South Oxfordshire, Vale of White Horse and Oxford City. These operate in a different way through a partnership model. Please contact Aspect Ecology for more details.

The option of continuing along a standard licensing route, accompanied by survey data, still remains available and can be selected if this is commercially favourable.