Great Crested Newt District Level Licensing

Addressing the costs and time constraints associated with current means of maintaining populations of great crested newts for developers.

Natural England’s District Level Licensing (DLL) scheme is available in East Suffolk in most locations, except Great Crested Newt (GCN) Risk Red Zones areas, in which traditional mitigation licences are required. View a map of GCN Risk Zones and find out how to apply for a DLL.

If you decide to join Natural England’s DLL scheme you comply with the legal duty to protect great crested newts. The payments provided go towards off-site compensation ponds rather than traditional surveys and bespoke mitigation measures.

Please note if the DLL approach is to be used for an application, an Impact Assessment and Conservation Payment Certificate (IACPC) signed by both the applicant and Natural England will need to be submitted prior to determination of your planning application in order to demonstrate that the site has been accepted into the DLL scheme by Natural England.