A pond could be created to make new habitats to attract wildlife in a village.

Plans have been submitted to build a pond at the Tiptree Heath Nature Reserve in Maldon Road.

The Essex Wildlife Trust and the Farming and Wildlife Advisory Group are hoping to develop the pond to enable great crested newts to thrive on the two-acre site.

The application is part of an initiative from Natural England which specifically targets the area for the protected newts.

The pond will be designed to specifically meet the needs of the species.

It will have a maximum central depth of 1.5 metres (5ft) and gently sloping banks.

The plans look to dig out the existing clay soil and have an irregular outline with the aim of creating a more natural-looking pond.

It will not be connected to any ditches, streams or other watercourses and will rely on groundwater and rainwater.

Reserve warden Joan Pinch, of the Essex Wildlife Trust, said: “We are hopeful that Tiptree Heath Nature Reserve will soon be part of a regional project to restore habitat for great crested newts, a protected species in the UK.

“A new pond will not only deliver habitat for these endangered amphibians but also for a wealth of bird species and insects that use this secluded part of the heath, including nightingales, woodcock and buzzards.”