Boris Johnson’s plans to build a swimming pool at his country manor in Oxfordshire have run into trouble due to newts.
Former prime minister Boris Johnson has never been fond of newts and he has blamed the amphibian for the slow rate of house building in the UK in the past.
In July 2020, Mr Johnson described newts as a “massive drag on the productivity and the prosperity of this country”.
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Now his comments on newts will come back to haunt him as the species is threatening to get in the way of his ambitions to build an outdoor pool at his country manor in Brightwell-cum-Sotwell where he moved with his family in May.
Mr Johnson’s application to build a pool 11 metres by four metres has become subject to a holding objection from the local council’s countryside officer, which argues the pool represents a threat to the local population of newts.
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In his official planning report, Edward Church, said: “There are known populations of great crested newts (GCN)… in the east of the village.
“Mapping shows that there is a pond onsite and a moat immediately adjacent to the southern boundary, both well within 250 metres of the position of the proposed pool.”
Mr Church therefore concluded that there was a “reasonable likelihood” that great crested newts were present at the proposed site and could be impacted by the construction of a pool.
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The planning officer has warned Mr Johnson that the site falls within “the red zone of highest risk” for the amphibian and he had been advised to carry out a protected species survey if he would like the application to be approved.
Experts have said the implications of the officer’s assessment could mean that Mr Johnson has to relocate every great crested newt that lives nearby the swimming pool or create new habitats for the newts within the grounds of the five acre estate.
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By law, great crested newts and their eggs are protected, and it is illegal to “damage or destroy a breeding or resting place” or to “capture, kill disturb or injure deliberately” a great crested newt.
Mr Johnson could wait for a newt survey to take place, which is estimated to delay the project by a year, or he could pledge the cash to build a new habitat.
The conservation officer for the South Oxfordshire District Council, Rebecca Barnett, said she had “no objection” to the pool and concluded it would be “unharmful” to the character and appearance of the conservation area.
Boris Johnson's spokesman declined to comment on the newts.
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Ed specialises in writing political stories for the Oxford Mail and The Oxford Times.
He joined in the team in February 2023, after completing a History undergraduate degree at the University of York and studying for his NCTJ diploma in London.
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