Landowners: hosting a pond as part of the great crested newt district level licensing scheme
Updated 16 April 2025
Applies to England
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This publication is available at https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/great-crested-newts-district-level-licensing-schemes-for-developers/landowners-hosting-a-pond-as-part-of-the-great-crested-newt-district-level-licensing-scheme
If you’re a landowner in England, you may be eligible to take part in the Natural England district level licensing scheme for great crested newts.
By hosting a pond on your land, you’ll:
- support nature, by providing a habitat for a protected species
- provide benefits to other forms of wildlife
- have a funded pond on your land for 25 years
If you’re interested in taking part in the scheme, enquire with your local habitat delivery partner to see if your site is suitable.
How district level licensing works for landowners
Natural England’s habitat delivery partners can advise if you can have a pond created or restored on your land for great crested newts.
Whether you can have a pond under the scheme depends on:
- the demand for ponds in your area
- whether your land falls in a suitable location for great crested newts
Habitat delivery partners can discuss this with you.
Habitat delivery partners
The delivery partners Natural England are working with are:
North East
- Northumberland – Northumberland Wildlife Trust
- Durham and Darlington – Durham Wildlife Trust
- Tees Valley – Tees Valley Wildlife Trust
- Cumbria – Cumbria Wildlife Trust
Yorkshire and the Humber
- Yorkshire – Yorkshire Wildlife Trust and Wildscapes
- North Lincolnshire – Wildscapes
North West
- Lancashire – Lancashire Wildlife Trust
- Greater Manchester and Warrington – Greater Manchester Ecology Unit
- Cheshire (East) – Cheshire Wildlife Trust
- Cheshire (West) – Cheshire West Chester Council
East Midlands
- Derbyshire – Wildscapes
- Leicestershire – EMEC Ecological Consultants, FWAG East and Froglife
West Midlands
- Shropshire – Shropshire Wildlife Trust
- Telford & Wrekin – Telford & Wrekin Council
East of England
- Cambridgeshire – FWAG East and BCN Wildlife Trust
- Norfolk – Norfolk Wildlife Trust, Norfolk FWAG and Norfolk County Council
- Suffolk – Suffolk Wildlife Trust and Suffolk FWAG
- Essex – FWAG East and Froglife
South East
- Hertfordshire – FWAG East
- Kent – Kent County Council
South West
- Wiltshire – Wiltshire Wildlife Trust and FWAG South West
- South Gloucestershire – FWAG South West
- North Somerset – FWAG South West
- Somerset – FWAG South West
You can find the contact details for each habitat delivery partner on their website.
The district level licensing scheme does not cover every area in England. If there is not a habitat delivery partner listed for your area, you might be covered by the NatureSpace Scheme.
Suitable locations for ponds
Natural England publishes strategic opportunity areas for great crested newts on the Natural England Open Data Geoportal. You can use this to check whether your land is in a suitable location.
Ponds created or restored under district level licensing must be between 150 and 1,000 metres squared. If you’re planning on having a pond restored under the scheme, the pond must be currently completely unsuitable for great crested newts.
Your local habitat delivery partner can advise you on suitable pond locations and the exact requirements.
Funding
Ponds delivered under district level licensing are funded for 25 years. This includes any required monitoring or maintenance works.
Depending on the exact scale of works and requirements, some landowners may need to contribute to the initial development costs. Your habitat delivery partner can advise you on this.
Get help
Email the great crested newt district level licensing team if you need further information.
Email: gcndll@naturalengland.org.uk
Read the great crested newt district level licensing scheme privacy notice.