About this service
Exclusive offer: farmland pond restoration
Norfolk FWAG is a delivery body for Natural England’s District Level Licensing Scheme (DLL), which is a landscape-scale approach designed to compensate for the impacts of development on great crested newt habitat. The scheme pays for the restoration of overgrown and neglected ponds as well as the creation of new ponds.
Norfolk FWAG are actively seeking landowners in the county who are looking to restore and/or create ponds on their land. In most cases, we can provide 100% funding for eligible ponds and we will oversee the process with very little paperwork involved for landowners. Ponds entered into the scheme will also be eligible for funding to carry out periodic maintenance and monitoring over the next 25 years.
How to qualify
Pond restoration guidance
In order to qualify for the funding, ponds restored or created should deliver high-quality breeding habitat for great crested newt. This includes excellent water quality, well connected to suitable terrestrial habitat, and minimal disturbance from livestock, dogs, waterfowl and humans.
You can view the full set of criteria below. If you think you have suitable ponds, please get in touch with and one of advisers will take you though the next steps.
Free advice
Our support
Whilst the focus of the DLL funding is for great crested newt, a healthy farmland pond is an extremely valuable resource for a whole host of wildlife and perhaps one of the most important habitats within the farmed landscape.
We recognise that many ponds will fall outside of the criteria for District Level Licensing, but they can be equally as important. Norfolk FWAG can also support with alternative funding streams for pond restoration and management through the Sustainable Farming Incentive and Countryside Stewardship.
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss other funding streams for ponds or considering becoming a member to access to our free telephone advice.
Contact Us
Who do I need to speak to?
Evan is an experienced ecologist with a breadth of knowledge in pond restoration. Evan manages our fully funded pond restoration programme, and can provide advice on how the funding works.
He will also be able to provide advice with ongoing management of existing ponds. If you have a pond you think would be eligible, speak to Evan to run through the eligibility criteria, and to discuss funding options.
Testimonials
What people say about Norfolk FWAG
Case studies
What we've been up to
Using Green Hay from Norfolk’s Roadside Nature Reserves to restore Wildflower Meadows
In the 1990s, Norfolk established Roadside Nature Reserves (RNRs) to protect and enhance diverse plant communities along our waysides. These RNRs hold some of the last remnants of Norfolk’s natural grasslands, that would have been widespread prior to agricultural intensification from the 1940’s onwards. They have preserved unique assemblages of
FiPL Deer Management on the Broads
What is our involvement in the Deer Management Sector? In May 2024 a deer management workshop was held by the Broads Authority, Norfolk FWAG and the Forestry Commission to discuss the growing deer population in the Norfolk Broads. This meeting highlighted the necessity for a more effective and coordinated approach
Rare Arable Flora Work
In 2011, Norfolk FWAG conducted research to identify areas where our rarer arable plants still occur in Norfolk. The report provided an understanding to assist in targeting environmental stewardship options and other initiatives that will benefit them. The arable flora is now one of the most threatened group of plants