HS2 - the countryside at threat (Bluebells: Helen Walsh. Graphic design: www.lonelycottage.co.uk)
** UPDATE** A complaint has today (Mon 26 March 2012) been raised with the European Commission over the UK Government’s decision on High Speed Rail. See who has complained, and why, by downloading the attached media release, at the bottom of this page...
Four Wildlife Trust reserves, 10 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), more than 50 ancient woodlands and numerous local wildlife sites lie in the route of the proposed High Speed Rail route.
On 10 January 2012, Justine Greening MP announced that the Government would go ahead with constructing a Y-shaped national High Speed Rail network beginning with the London to West Midlands phase (Phase 1).
Following the consultation, which attracted 55,000 responses – with the vast majority reported to be against the current proposals, the Government announced a number of alterations to the Phase 1 route including greater use of tunneling.
HS2 Ltd, the company set up by the (previous Labour) Government to consider the case for a new high speed rail network in the UK, has now been commissioned to complete a full Environmental Impact Assessment of Phase 1 (London to Birmingham). Research by The Wildlife Trusts shows the route could threaten as many as 160 wildlife sites including up to 50 irreplaceable ancient woodlands.
A Hybrid Bill to provide the necessary powers to construct Phase 1 will be put before Parliament before the end of 2013 with construction expected to start in 2015. Phase 1 will be operational in 2026.
The preferred route for Phase 2, the Y-shaped route from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds, will be formally consulted on early in 2014. However, before this, HS2 Ltd will provide advice to the Government on the phase 2 route options (spring 2012) and there will be a public engagement programme to discuss local views and concerns (autumn 2012).
High Speed Rail (HS2) - impacts on wildlife
Four Wildlife Trust reserves, 10 Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs), more than 50 ancient woodlands and numerous local wildlife sites lie in the route of the proposed High Speed Rail HS2 route.
It will fragment populations of butterflies, bats and birds, and compromise the natural movements of large mammals such as badgers that cannot cross the concrete and steel barrier of railway infrastructure.
This comes at a time when the Making Space for Nature report called for integrated, connected landscapes to link up and extend habitats for rare and endangered species. The very last thing we should be doing is creating new linear barriers to the movement of wildlife.
You can download a Q&A document here which looks at some of the key issues around the HS2 proposals and The Wildlife Trusts position. This also contains more information on the potential ecological impact of the proposed route.
Help get HS2 debated in Parliament
The Wildlife Trusts are urging people to sign the Stop HS2 e-petition on the Government’s website.
When there are at least 100,000 names on the e-petition, the Government will consider holding a debate in the House of Commons. Every signature makes a difference. A Parliamentary debate would give local MPs the chance to speak about the devastating effect on wildlife that HS2 could cause.
If you want to send a clear message to the Government that a proper Parliamentary debate is needed, consider adding your name to this petition.
This e-petition was initiated by the Stop HS2 group and, whilst we may not fully agree with every point it makes, we do consider that a Parliamentary debate would be helpful.
If you would like information on the potential impact on wildlife and habitats in your area please contact your local Wildlife Trust - see below.
Wildlife sites at risk from HS2
Wildlife Trusts affected by the proposed route of HS2
The seven Wildlife Trusts along the proposed HS2 route have information about wildlife habitats and species affected. You can contact your local Wildlife Trust using the details below.
London Wildlife Trust
18 wildlife sites will be affected including Perivale Wood, established as a nature reserve in 1902 and noted for its bluebells. The Heathrow spur line is likely to directly impact Gutteridge Wood nature reserve and the Colne and Yeading Brooke Valleys.
Contact: Mathew Frith 020 7261 0447 mfrith@wildlondon.org.uk
Herts & Middlesex Wildlife Trust
The proposed railway will cross the Mid-Colne Valley SSSI on a viaduct bisecting Broadwater Lake nature reserve. The 80 hectare site is renowned internationally for the diversity of breeding wetland birds and the numbers of wintering waterbirds such as gadwall, shoveler and great crested grebe, and summer moult gatherings of tufted duck.
Contact: Tim Hill 01727 858901 Tim.hill@hmwt.org
Berks, Bucks & Oxon Wildlife Trust
56 wildlife sites in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire will be impacted to varying degrees. Of these 29 are of county importance for wildlife and four are of national importance, the very best in the UK. The route cuts right through Weedonhill, Lotts and Pipers Woods, ancient woodland near Amersham; replacing mature trees and established plants with concrete, steel and gravel of a sterile railway. The route will plough through Calvert Jubilee a former clay pit now a nature reserve for vast numbers of waterfowl. Woodland birds, rare butterflies and beautiful orchids depend on the special grassland habitat around the lake which will be devastated by the railway.
Contact: Heather Lewis 01442 826774 heatherlewis@bbowt.org.uk
The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Northamptonshire & Peterborough
In south Northamptonshire, the route could destroy at least eight wildlife sites of county importance including ancient forests, medieval parkland and limestone grassland. It will damage an important SSSI, and threatens the rare and declining small blue butterfly. A further ten important wildlife sites lie within 500m of the route.
Contact: Brian Eversham 01954 713500 northamptonshire@wildlifebcnp.org
Warwickshire Wildlife Trust
Up to 90 sites of wildlife importance could be adversely affected by the direct and indirect impacts of the HS2 route as it cuts through Warwickshire and Solihull. At least 80 sites are of county importance. Five SSSIs are vulnerable to impacts from construction, hydrology or fragmentation. The route goes across numerous major watercourses, ancient woodlands and wildflower meadows, with subsequent effects on their associated species. This could have a significant cumulative impact on the biodiversity of Warwickshire, Coventry and Solihull, and could compromise efforts to restore habitats on a landscape scale within five of our Living Landscape scheme areas.
Contact: Stephen Trotter 024 7630 2912 enquiries@wkwt.org.uk
Wildlife Trust for Birmingham & the Black Country
The route will have a significant impact on the Wildlife Trust’s Park Hall nature reserve, a Site of Importance for Nature Conservation at Water Orton. More than 600 metres of viaduct will split the reserve in two, create cuttings through ancient woodlands, realign 1,600m of the River Tame and remove access to the reserve.
Contact: Neil Wyatt 0121 454 1199 info@bbcwildlife.org.uk
Staffordshire Wildlife Trust
17 small sites of ancient woodland, including wet woodlands, will be affected as the route goes north to Lichfield; railway infrastructure could damage the hydrology of this unusual habitat. The Tame valley wetlands, part of the River Living Landscape area, will be damaged resulting in disturbance to protected species such as water voles and great crested newts.
Contact: Sue Lawley 01889 880100 s.lawley@staffs-wildlife.org.uk
The Wildlife Trusts' position statement on HS2
Click here to download The Wildlife Trusts full position statement on HS2.
The Wildlife Trusts are convinced that:
• The principles of sustainable development - including the need for efficient and sustainable transport systems and the need to move to a low carbon economy - must not be achieved at the expense of the natural environment.
• The former Government’s policy document on High Speed Rail (March 2010) significantly underestimated the impact of the proposed route on the natural environment.
• The current approach to assessing the least environmentally-damaging route is seriously flawed, and that the environmental case for the current proposals lacks clarity.
• The Appraisal of Sustainability seriously underestimates the environmental mitigation and compensation costs and opportunities
• Before pursuing either the currently proposed route, or any other high speed rail routes, the Government needs to complete a much fuller and more in-depth analysis of the environmental impact of a new rail link.
The Right Lines Charter
A powerful alliance of respected organisations has agreed a Charter that will hold the Government to account on its approach to High Speed Rail.
The Right Lines Charter, published on Thursday 08 April 2011, sets out four core principles ‘for doing High Speed Rail well’.
The Charter calls for a national transport strategy, better future-proofing of big transport proposals, effective public participation and a more strategic approach to minimising adverse impacts. Its supporters seek to engage positively with the Government, as they believe the approach to High Speed Rail currently falls well short of the Charter's principles.
Many groups commenting publicly on High Speed Rail (HS2) to date have represented either people living along the proposed route or businesses and cities that could profit from it. Today’s Charter draws together for the first time many well known national charities, covering environmental, heritage, countryside, legal and wildlife issues, in addition to other organisations. It seeks to achieve the best long-term outcome from high speed rail for the country, the climate, communities and the countryside.
Paul Wilkinson, Head of Living Landscape, said: “As it stands, HS2 is on track to deliver a damaged natural environment. We need efficient and sustainable transport systems but they must not be achieved at the expense of the environment. The proposed HS2 route will have a detrimental impact by dissecting and fragmenting the landscape and threatening important wildlife sites and undermining action to support nature’s recovery.”
Download a copy of the Right Lines Charter below
Institute of Economic Affairs report on HS2
A report by the Institute of Economic Affairs (IEA) lambasts the Government’s proposals as "economically flawed". It says: "There is a significant risk that High Speed 2 (HS2) will become the latest in a long series of government big-project disasters with higher-than-forecast costs and lower-than-forecast benefits. HS2 is not commercially viable and will require substantial and increasing levels of subsidy. Taxpayers will therefore bear a very high proportion of the financial risks. [However], most taxpayers will derive no benefit from the scheme."
The report claims that the level of financial risk of HS2 is huge – far more than for the earlier High Speed 1(Channel Tunnel) rail link. It also argues that significant environmental and social costs resulting from the construction of the line – which will include demolition of a large number of properties along the route – has not been considered in the Government’s assessment of the economic case. Several areas are likely to be affected by "planning blight", the report warns. It also dismisses ministerial claims that HS2 will help bridge the north-south divide and bring regenerative benefits to the regions, saying that the evidence for this is "largely speculative".
Other information
HS2 public information events
From March-June a series of public information events organised by the HS2 team and the Department for Transport will be held at locations along the proposed route. They will provide an opportunity for people to view the proposals as well as offering the chance for people to speak to the HS2 team and officials from the Department for Transport.
A full list of events is available here: http://highspeedrail.dft.gov.uk/roadshow
Downloads
| Filename | File size |
|---|---|
| Right lines Charter FOR WEBSITE.pdf | 950.81 KB |
| FINAL_LEAFLET_LOWRES.pdf | 4.08 MB |
| Complaint to EC over HS2 decision 26032012.doc | 35.5 KB |