Grant or payment · England
Great crested newt ponds on your land (district level licensing)
Developers pay into a fund that creates or restores wildlife ponds on farmland, fully paid for and looked after for 25 years. In NatureSpace areas the landowner also gets annual payments.
- From
- Natural England, and NatureSpace / Newt Conservation Partnership in their areas
- How much
- Pond creation, maintenance and monitoring fully funded for 25 years. Annual payments in NatureSpace areas set site by site.
- Who can apply
- Landowners and farmers in England with suitable land near great crested newt populations, usually in a strategic opportunity area.
What you’ll need
- Site location (grid reference)
- Space for a pond of 150 to 1,000 square metres
How to apply
- Contact your local habitat delivery partner (listed by Natural England) or email [email protected]
- Get a site check and visit
- Sign a management agreement
Depends on local demand. NatureSpace covers Beds, Berks, Bucks, East Sussex, Glos, Hants, Milton Keynes, Northants, Oxon, Staffs, Surrey and West Sussex; Natural England covers other areas.
Similar schemes
- Growth Guarantee Scheme (government-backed business lending) OpenBritish Business Bank, through accredited lendersThe government guarantees part of a loan, overdraft, asset finance or invoice finance from an accredited lender, which can help a farm business borrow when it might not otherwise get finance.
- Workplace Charging Scheme (EV chargepoints) OpenOffice for Zero Emission Vehicles (OZEV), run by DVLA · Closes 31 March 2027A voucher towards buying and fitting electric vehicle chargepoints for staff or farm fleet vehicles. You get a voucher code and give it to an authorised installer, who claims the money.
- 40% first-year allowance Open all yearHMRCDeduct 40% of the cost of new main-rate plant and machinery from profits in the first year, with the rest claimed over later years.
- Annual Investment Allowance (AIA) Open all yearHMRCDeduct the full cost of most machinery and equipment (tractors, kit, many fixtures) from your profits in the year you buy it, so you pay less tax.
- Farmers' averaging of profits Open all yearHMRCSole-trader and partnership farmers can average taxable profits over 2 or 5 years, which smooths out good and bad years and can cut the tax bill.
- Full expensing (companies) Open all yearHMRCLimited companies can deduct 100% of the cost of new plant and machinery from profits in the year they buy it, with no upper limit.
Checked against the official pages on 29 October 2026. Sources: 1, 2. Always read the official page before you apply.