Great Crested Newts

Great crested newts (Triturus cristatus) (GCN) are one of the UK’s most striking amphibian species and although they require a pond to breed in they can be found in a range of terrestrial habitats throughout much of the year including grassland, woodland, farmland, brown-field sites and quarries.

This species and its breeding sites are protected by European and domestic legislation and, as such, where they are likely to be affected they require full consideration during the planning process. Where GCN are likely to be affected by a development, a derogation licence from Natural England would be required to facilitate the proposals. The aims of the licence are to minimise impacts on the GCN population and maintain the conservation status of the population at a favourable level in the long term.

FPCR have many years’ experience in providing cost-effective solutions to accommodate the requirements of this species whilst minimising the impacts on development projects. We have numerous licensed GCN surveyors as well as a large team of highly experienced project managers that have taken many, often complex, projects right through planning to delivery on site.

Our services include:

  • Desk and field based scoping / constraints surveys throughout the year.
  • Habitat Suitability Index Assessments at waterbodies between May to September.
  • Presence / Absence surveys at waterbodies s between mid-March and mid-June and on land during their active season.
  • Presence / Absence surveys using eDNA sampling at waterbodies.
  • Population Size Class Assessment at waterbodies where GCN are confirmed and on land where pond access is not available.
  • Reporting of field surveys including the design of detailed mitigation and compensation strategies, Risk Assessments in relation to proposed operations, Working Method Statements.
  • Liaison with planning authorities and consultees on potential impacts and proposed mitigation strategies.
  • Production of European Protected Species licence application documents.
  • Implementation of all aspects of proposed mitigation and compensation using specialist GCN Ecological Clerks of Works.