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Britain is home to a rare species – one that is found in ponds during spring but for the rest of the year wanders amidst fields, woodlands and hedges. No, I’m not referring to the protected Great Crested Newt but the equally rare ‘Registered Consultant’ Ecologist that surveys such places and can obtain a fast-track Low impact Licence for development and landscape projects where great crested newts are present. There are just a handful of these Registered Consultants in the country and, unsurprisingly, very few people have heard of their existence. However, one can be found at Diversity Environmental Consultants (www.diversity.biz) – an ecological consultancy that has enjoyed a happy working relationship with Terra Firma for a quarter of a century.
A GCN Low impact Licence was particularly useful on Terra Firma’s project at Eastside Park in Newhaven recently, where restoration of old allotments was long-awaited by the town community. All was going well up until the discovery of a Great Crested Newt at which point work needed to stop due to the risk of committing an offence under wildlife legislation.
Due to a massive decline in range and abundance over the last century Great Crested Newts and the habitat in which they live are protected by Law and, consequently, disturbing habitat used by them for rest, shelter or access, is illegal. The standard way forward in such circumstances is to apply for a Mitigation Licence from Natural England, which in this case would have caused several months delay. Meanwhile, the alternative of paying into a district-wide Licencing scheme can be inordinately expensive. Fortunately, a third, timelier and more cost-effective route, was available: registering the site under a Low-impact Licence. The registration came through in a matter of days and enabled works to continue smoothly.
It was great to work with Terra Firma’s Senior Landscape Architect – Alice Cooper, and the contractors – Blakedown Landscapes, on this project. As a result of their efforts Newhaven has been delivered some outstanding (and much sought-after) allotments and the local wildlife has been protected.
Rob Craine, Ecologist
Diversity Environmental Consultants
www.diversity.biz
