Great crested newt only spend between mid-March and June within ponds and waterbodies with the remaining months of the year being spent in terrestrial habitat such as tussocky grassland, log piles, woodland and hedgerow bases. Great crested newt surveys involve an initial Habitat Suitability Index (HSI) survey of all ponds and waterbodies within 500m of the site. If the ponds or waterbody is deemed suitable for great crested newt, then a presence/likely absence will be undertaken. This involves a great crested newt licensed surveyor conducting four bottle trapping, egg searching, netting and dusk torching surveys of the pond or waterbody to identify if great crested newt are present. If after the four surveys great crested newt have been recorded, a further two surveys are required to undertake a population size class assessment. These surveys can be undertaken between mid-March and beginning of June with three surveys conducted before the mid-May. Ponds can also be subject to eDNA surveys, where water samples are taken by a suitably qualified ecologist following a set protocol between mid-April and June. The water samples are then sent to a laboratory, where they are analysed for the great crested newt eDNA. If great crested newt are identified within ponds or waterbodies within 500m of the site, a mitigation strategy and Natural England licence may be required, or depending on the location of the site, it could be entered into a District Level Licence.