A new method to conserve great crested newts is to be rolled out across the UK to speed up house building timescales.

Natural England will implement the new approach after it was piloted in partnership with Woking borough council in Surrey.

The method focuses on bringing the the greatest benefits to the amphibians while streamlining the licensing process for housing developers.

The technique allows for operations which may affect great crested newts to take place on development sites at the same times as planning permission, removing the need for expensive surveys prior to building works and individual licences to disturb newts if they are present.

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The three-year programme will survey areas where newts are most prevalent, map the potential impacts of development and propose local conservation strategies for the species in partnership.

As a result, habitat space is enhanced or created prior to any development taking place, saving developers time and money, and making newt populations more healthy and resilient.

Housing Minister Gavin Barwell said: "We are taking decisive action to support developers to build out more quickly so that we can deliver the homes this country needs.

"This new approach to managing great crested newts will not only ensure the continued protection of this rare species and its habitat, but will safeguard developers from the delays, costs and uncertainty which have so often restricted the job of building new homes."

(LM)