A new test devised by Natural England that can detect the DNA of great crested newts in ponds and streams is being piloted in Woking, Surrey.
The test means developers and councils may soon be able to resolve clashes over dealing with the legally protected animals without the current surveys to find and count them.
Aston Mead land & planning director Charles Hesse said: “This is the sort of simple and straightforward test that developers all over the country have been crying out for.
“It will allow councils to balance the protection of valuable wildlife habitats with the requirement to provide desperately needed new homes.”
The great crested newt is protected under EU law, which means licensed ecologists have had to carry out four time-consuming surveys to establish their presence in any given area.
If discovered, developers obliged to apply for a licence to disturb them, before rehoming them one by one.
To send feedback, e-mail alex.peace@egi.co.uk or tweet @egalexpeace or @estatesgazette
