Where a development or activity damages or destroys habitat or disturbs a legally protected species, a mitigation licence will be required for works to lawfully proceed.
Our Ecologists are licence experts who will design, review, prepare, and submit the licence application and all associated documentation on your behalf. We will supervise high-risk works and undertake any remaining post-construction monitoring and reporting.
Natural England (NE) issues protected species Mitigation Licences in England. Licences are issued under the Habitats Regulations to allow developers to work within the law when the proposed works impact a protected species. A licence application can only be made once planning consent has been granted (if required) and any other ecology-related planning conditions have been discharged. When planning consent is required, the following elements make up the licence application: mitigation licence application form, method statement, work schedule, reasoned statement, and any supplementary information as required. It can take 30 working days for NE to process and issue a licence so we recommend commissioning an ecologist to complete the licence application as soon as possible after planning permission is granted to minimise unnecessary delays to projects.
District Licensing
District Licensing for great crested newts is a new system of licensing from Natural England. It provides developers and householders with a quicker and risk-free way of dealing with great crested newts when they are applying for planning permission. The new voluntary scheme is available to all developers and householders throughout selected counties.
If you enter the scheme, all of your survey and mitigation needs are covered under the District Licence – giving you complete legal certainty. This approach means that developers need only make a single application and payment to join their local scheme. The one-off payment is put towards the creation or restoration of ponds within the local area.
These ponds will be monitored as part of the scheme and are intended to improve the great crested newt population at a landscape scale. If you are applying for planning permission in South Yorkshire and need the assistance of a licensed and experienced great crested newt ecologist to complete your application form, or would simply like to know more, please do get in touch.