The Norfolk Ponds Project partners deliver District Level Licensing (DLL) in Norfolk on behalf of, and in partnership with, Norfolk County Council.
District Level Licensing (DLL) better conserves this Great Crested Newts by offering a new licensing option for developers. Developers make a conservation payment which is used to create or restore new ponds in locations that will benefit the great crested newt, which are then secured, monitored and managed for 25 years. More information for the developer on District Level Licensing is available from Natural England.
For every single pond that’s lost through development we try to restore or create two ponds as compensation, providing a huge conservation benefit for newts. We work with a network of farmers and landowners who are already interested in restoring overgrown ponds or reinstating lost ponds (“ghost ponds”) on their land for the benefit of farmland wildlife. One of our DLL pond restorations even uncovered a rare plant known as grass-poly (Lythrum hyssopifolia)! The ponds have to be of good quality and can’t just go anywhere however; we have a conservation strategy map of areas where the newt populations are already present or near to and this helps strengthen and expand the newt populations by increasing suitable habitat near to them. If you are a landowner and are interested in finding out if your pond is eligible for funding through the scheme, you can enquire here.
Overtime, these ponds be monitored and managed for the landowner which is hugely beneficial for all wildlife.
Restoring, resurrecting and conserving Norfolk's ponds. 