Boris can construct a pool at his home despite worries about newts.

Boris Johnson has been granted permission to build a swimming pool at his £3.8 million moated manor despite initial concerns it could have an impact on the great crested newt population.

South Oxfordshire District Council has confirmed the development at Brightwell Manor can go ahead, providing certain steps are taken to mitigate any risks it poses to the newts. The ex-PM has even gone so far as to vow to ‘do whatever it takes’ to protect the newts, including building ‘newt motels’ for them and enhancing an existing orchard to make up for a loss of biodiversity.

The council has made sure the applicant has opted to use a district level license to compensate for any damage to local amphibians. Local councils have a duty to check all developers have plans in place to lessen the impact of their building work on animals.

The proposed 11-by-four-metre swimming pool would be situated 35m from the moat and 80m from a nearby pond, an area that is suitable for great crested newts according to a local conservation officer.

The great crested newt is a protected species, so the development has been controversial as the newt population is in decline. It is an offence to deliberately kill, capture, injure, or damage newt breeding sites and resting places.

When he was prime minister, Boris Johnson argued that ‘newt counting’ was holding back housebuilding. But in a Daily Mail column, he made clear his dedication to protecting the newts, saying he would do ‘whatever it takes’. He went on to say that the rules may ‘sound barmy’ but the UK must protect the animals ‘or posterity will not forgive us’.

The council’s permission was granted ‘strictly in accordance with the description, plans and specifications contained in the application’, subject to certain conditions. It must be in keeping with the character of the building and the surrounding area, trees must be protected, and developers must abide by the great crested newt mitigation principles and arrange an ‘archaeological watching brief’.

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