wes_von_papineäu
Our Roving Correspondent
EASTERN DAILY PRESS (Norfolk, UK) 04 July 08 Rare newts halt £2.3m hotel venture
To nature lovers the great crested newt looks harmless enough, sitting under a stone waiting for an unsuspecting snail to slither past at dusk to provide a tasty snack.
But after decades of being threatened with extinction by being forced off building sites across the country, a group of newts has brought a £2.3m/$4.5million hotel development in Lowestoft to a standstill.
Work on the Travelodge hotel on Leisure Way, off Yarmouth Road, started earlier this year but construction work has now been stopped and all heavy machinery has been removed after great crested newts were found living around a pond on the site.
The great crested newt is Britain's largest newt species and can grow up to 17cm/6.6 inches long and live for nearly 30 years, but their population has plummeted in recent decades because of over-development near to the ponds where they live and breed.
Suffolk has always been a stronghold for the species, which are officially recognised as an endangered species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - making it an offence to disturb them, kill or harm them, or cause damage to their habitiat.
Before work began on the 47-room Lowestoft Travelodge, a wildlife survey was carried out and the newts were discovered living around a pond, but with the help of Natural England and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust they were captured using special harmless traps and moved to suitable habitats elsewhere.
However more newts have now been found on the site - one of five hotels being built as part of an £18.4m Travelodge expansion scheme - and a stop order has been served while attempts are made to capture and remove them.
This is not the first time newts have caused problems for developers - in 2002, dualling of the A11was halted for five weeks after groups of the dark brown amphibians were found and the building of a new Autobahn in the central German state of Hesse was called off completely in 2004 after newts were found to be living on wetlands along the planned route.
Natural England amphibian specialist Jim Foster said: “Great crested newts are Britain's largest newt species, however they have suffered a major decline in numbers over the last century.
“This has been mainly due to loss of breeding sites through drainage of wetlands and loss of ponds suitable for breeding. The loss of grassland, scrub and woodland means that there are fewer opportunities for foraging, dispersal and hibernation. Newt habitats have also become increasingly fragmented through development.”
Mr Foster said that although new ponds are being created, there is a long way to go before they compensate numerically for the massive decline in newt numbers during the twentieth century. “Sites such as the ones at Lowestoft are therefore vital in the survival of this species,” he said.
A spokesman for Travelodge said that once the newts have been removed and rehomed, work on the hotel should start again and not be too far behind schedule. He said: “We recognise the importance of preserving the local ecology in Lowestoft and are happy to be working with Suffolk Wildlife Trust to ensure the safe removal of newts from our site.
“We have experienced a delay to the building schedule but Lowestoft Travelodge is still expected to open just in time for Christmas 2008."
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news...gory=news&itemid=NOED03 Jul 2008 20:53:49:800
To nature lovers the great crested newt looks harmless enough, sitting under a stone waiting for an unsuspecting snail to slither past at dusk to provide a tasty snack.
But after decades of being threatened with extinction by being forced off building sites across the country, a group of newts has brought a £2.3m/$4.5million hotel development in Lowestoft to a standstill.
Work on the Travelodge hotel on Leisure Way, off Yarmouth Road, started earlier this year but construction work has now been stopped and all heavy machinery has been removed after great crested newts were found living around a pond on the site.
The great crested newt is Britain's largest newt species and can grow up to 17cm/6.6 inches long and live for nearly 30 years, but their population has plummeted in recent decades because of over-development near to the ponds where they live and breed.
Suffolk has always been a stronghold for the species, which are officially recognised as an endangered species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 - making it an offence to disturb them, kill or harm them, or cause damage to their habitiat.
Before work began on the 47-room Lowestoft Travelodge, a wildlife survey was carried out and the newts were discovered living around a pond, but with the help of Natural England and the Suffolk Wildlife Trust they were captured using special harmless traps and moved to suitable habitats elsewhere.
However more newts have now been found on the site - one of five hotels being built as part of an £18.4m Travelodge expansion scheme - and a stop order has been served while attempts are made to capture and remove them.
This is not the first time newts have caused problems for developers - in 2002, dualling of the A11was halted for five weeks after groups of the dark brown amphibians were found and the building of a new Autobahn in the central German state of Hesse was called off completely in 2004 after newts were found to be living on wetlands along the planned route.
Natural England amphibian specialist Jim Foster said: “Great crested newts are Britain's largest newt species, however they have suffered a major decline in numbers over the last century.
“This has been mainly due to loss of breeding sites through drainage of wetlands and loss of ponds suitable for breeding. The loss of grassland, scrub and woodland means that there are fewer opportunities for foraging, dispersal and hibernation. Newt habitats have also become increasingly fragmented through development.”
Mr Foster said that although new ponds are being created, there is a long way to go before they compensate numerically for the massive decline in newt numbers during the twentieth century. “Sites such as the ones at Lowestoft are therefore vital in the survival of this species,” he said.
A spokesman for Travelodge said that once the newts have been removed and rehomed, work on the hotel should start again and not be too far behind schedule. He said: “We recognise the importance of preserving the local ecology in Lowestoft and are happy to be working with Suffolk Wildlife Trust to ensure the safe removal of newts from our site.
“We have experienced a delay to the building schedule but Lowestoft Travelodge is still expected to open just in time for Christmas 2008."
http://new.edp24.co.uk/content/news...gory=news&itemid=NOED03 Jul 2008 20:53:49:800