SOUTHERN DAILY ECHO (Southampton, UK) 14 June 03 Newts Halt Home Plan
Work on a major scheme to build 150 homes on the outskirts of Newport - including much needed social housing - is being held up by a rare colony of great-crested newts.
Construction of the homes cannot begin until English Nature is sure the newt colony on the proposed site has been successfully relocated to nearby ponds - and that could take anything up to three years.
Local builder Gallantgreen is seeking to build the homes on a three-acre greenfield site north of Newport CE Primary School and south of Petticoat Lane.
But the application has run into difficulties because English Nature insists the newts must be protected.
It says work can only begin when a replacement pond created on adjoining land is sufficiently mature to provide a suitable habitat for the amphibians.
Isle of Wight Council planning officer John Fletcher said: "This is a designated site for housing and we are keen for the site to come into use."
"But it is a greenfield site and with all greenfield sites there is a potential for this sort of issue to arise. It just happens that the great-crested newt presents one of the more difficult wildlife problems to overcome."
Cllr Ian Stephens, who chairs the Isle of Wight Council's select committee for social services, housing and benefits, called for a balance to be struck between the environmental and housing concerns.
He suggested that work on the houses could be staged or whether the newts could be decanted to a temporary home until the replacement pond was mature enough for their final relocation.
Though the application was lodged in June last year, it has taken planning officers almost a year to deal with the issue largely because of the concerns of English Nature over the newts.
The great-crested newt is Britain's most strictly protected, but most rapidly declining native amphibian. English Nature said there are only five known sites for great-crested newts on the Island, with three of them protected by law.
A Gallantgreen representative said it had been realised from the start that the newts would have to be moved and this would take time and money. That was why outline permission was being sought before the company went to such expense.
http://www.thisishampshire.net/hampshire/iow/news/IOW_NEWS_NEWS0.html
LANCASHIRE EVENING POST (Preston, UK) 14 June 03 My newt detail
It's newt to laugh about – these loved-up amphibians need protecting.
A rare species of the tiny creature has set up home in a nature reserve near Preston.
Currently the newts are slap bang in the middle of their mating season.
And because the future of their particular variety is so important, the local policeman has been carrying out regular checks on their habitat to make sure nothing is amiss.
Julie Shaw, rural beat manager for Grimsargh, said: "One of my colleagues has been spending quite a bit of time up of the field keeping an eye on the newts because it is their breeding season.
"He is just making sure everything is OK up there."
The great crested newt is a protected species and has been in decline for years.
Tony Serjeant, Biodiversity Project Officer in Lancashire for the county's Wildlife Trust, said: "It is great news to hear that Great Crested Newts have moved into the area at Grimsargh.
"There has been a decline in the number of suitable areas for them to live and breed in recent years, and the population has been falling.
"The UK is a European stronghold for this kind of newt and the north west in particular is ideal for them.
"This is the peak of their breeding season now, so lets hope local people look after them."
The wildlife spot is the work of United Utilities, who closed down one of their three reservoirs at the Alston site in Grimsargh to promote ecological growth.
The three reservoirs date back to the 1840s when they were built to store water for the Bowland Fells.
Lake three was closed earlier this year with the intention of transforming it into a thriving community of wildlife – and it looks like the plan is working.
Dave Dewar, United Utilities project manager said: "This is a very exciting project which will return operationally redundant land to an enhanced ecological state.
"The site will look beautiful in a few years when the meadow gets established.
"It's right in line with our sustainability policy – to encourage biodiversity and respect the environmental sensitivities of the land we are fortunate enough to manage."
http://www.prestontoday.net/ViewArticle2.aspx?SectionID=73&ArticleID=533314
