The three-year scheme – announced in the recent housing white paper – will remove the need for expensive surveys prior to building works by pre-emptively mapping the potential impacts of development in areas where newts are most common.

Local authorities will be able to authorise operations that may impact on newts at the same time as planning permission, ensuring that their habitat is enhanced or created before the development takes place.

Housing and planning minister Gavin Barwell said: “We are taking decisive action to support developers to build out more quickly so that we can deliver the homes this country needs.

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“This new approach to managing great crested newts will not only ensure the continued protection of this rare species and its habitat, but will safeguard developers from the delays, costs and uncertainty which have so often restricted the job of building new homes.”

Although great crested newts can be locally abundant in the UK, they are rare across Europe.

Current laws mean that disturbance or damage to the newts or their habitat requires a European protected species licence, which are issued on a site-by-site basis.

The new survey will streamline the licensing process by removing the need to assess each development individually.

Ross Murray, president of the Country Land and Business Association, added: “The licensing process is one of the most cited sources of frustration and cost for our members seeking to invest in building homes or business premises in the countryside.

“The harm is particularly felt by those pursuing small-scale developments.

“This initiative has the potential to transform habitat preservation for important species, while at the same time reducing costs and uncertainty for landowners considering development across England.”

The nationwide roll-out follows a successful pilot by Woking Borough Council in Surrey.