Sir Rod Stewart’s plans to build a swimming pool for his son have been delayed by the discovery of great crested newts in his garden.
The singer was granted permission in May to build a 50ft pool at Durrington House in Harlow, Essex, which he bought for £4.65 million in 2013. He and his wife, Penny Lancaster, said that it was to help with the training of their 11-year-old son, Alastair, who they said has ambitions to swim in the Olympic Games.
However, ecological surveys of the gardens and the grade II listed home found the newts, a protected species under British and European law. It is illegal to cause the animals harm or to disturb their habitat in any way; to do so could lead to a fine and a six-month prison sentence.
The discovery means that Sir Rod’s lawyers have once more had to submit plans to Epping Forest district council and Natural England detailing how the works would not disturb the habitat. He must also obtain a licence before construction can begin.
The singer is proposing to create a habitat for the animals elsewhere in the grounds and to erect “newt barrier fencing” to stop them entering the construction site.
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Moving a colony of newts away from building works to a safe habitat can take months. In 2014 a building company in Milton Keynes spent more than £1 million catching 150 of the animals, delaying the construction of 6,500 homes by up to a year at a cost of £6,700 per newt saved.
Sir Rod, 72, said that his son was a “great swimmer”. Ms Lancaster, 46, said: “He inherits that from my side, and gets up four times a week at 5.30am to swim before school.”