The curse of the newt stalls Sheeran’s Saxon chapel
Wildlife trust objected to development, claiming ponds on the star’s estate could be ‘breeding sites’
THE curse of the great crested newt has claimed its latest celebrity victim. Ed Sheeran, the pop star, has been forced to suspend plans to build a chapel on his Suffolk estate over reports that the species has been spotted in a nearby pond.
Sheeran has submitted a planning application for a Saxon-style chapel “for private non-denominational contemplation” in the grounds of his home near Framlingham.
The plans say some of Sheeran’s guests have “high profiles” and a “need for discretion”, which renders them unable to visit the local parish church.
But Suffolk Wildlife Trust raised an objection after noting that ponds within the site boundaries “could be breeding sites” for the great crested newt, which were recorded in a neighbour’s pond in 2015.
The trust insisted that a survey must be carried out to ensure that the application meets the requirements of the National Planning Policy Framework.
A number of local residents have complained to the council about Sheeran’s plans for the estate.
One neighbour wrote: “It would appear that the applicant, in his desire to satisfy the needs of the spiritual world, continues to overlook his obligations to the living world, particularly that of protected species,” adding that recent development “has been done with a total disregard to the local ecology and the need to preserve the habitat for the existing great crested newt population”.
Apex Planning Consultants, a firm working with Sheeran on the new building, said the singer-songwriter “has responded promptly to this matter and has commissioned an appropriate survey that will identify the presence of newts or otherwise”. He has also offered to introduce bat boxes, swift nesting boxes and native planting.
The planners said that “we were not aware of the historical presence of great crested newts nearby and certainly believe that none exist in the pond nearby to the application site”.
It is illegal to disturb great crested newts or to obstruct access to areas where they live and breed. The wildlife trust said the newts’ terrestrial habitat may extend up to 500 metres from the breeding pond, meaning the plans could be scuppered even if the newts are found on a neighbouring property.
Sir Rod Stewart’s plans to build a swimming pool at his Essex home were stymied last year when newts were discovered in his garden. In order to carry out the work, he built a new habitat for them elsewhere on the property and erected “newt barrier fencing” to keep them away from the construction site.
In 2014, a firm in Milton Keynes spent more than £1million catching 150 of the creatures, delaying the construction of 6,500 new homes by up to a year – at a cost of £6,700 per newt.
There have even been claims that environmentalists have “planted” colonies of newts at proposed housing developments in an effort to derail them.
Sheeran, 27, recently announced his engagement to Cherry Seaborn, his childhood sweetheart.
The application states that there is a need for the chapel as “it is every person’s right to be able to have a place of retreat for contemplation and prayer, for religious observance, celebration of key life and family milestones”.
‘In his desire to satisfy the needs of the spiritual world, he continues to overlook his obligations to the living’