Matt Jackson, of Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust, believes an effective nature restoration project should be implemented

A new report ‘HS2: A vision for large-scale nature restoration along the Proposed Route’ reveals the full extent of the impact on wildlife sites. It also makes the environmental, social and economic case for the Government to properly address the impact of HS2 on wildlife and ecosystems at a fraction of the cost of the whole project.

The stated intent of HS2 Ltd is that the development should result in ‘no net loss to biodiversity’. But estimates by The Wildlife Trusts show that HS2 Ltd is actually falling very far short of considering what could be provided to enable wildlife to thrive alongside the route. Current proposals are that the high speed railway will damage and destroy more wildlife habitat and populations of wild species than will be replaced. We believe the consequ-ence of building phase 1 of HS2 will actually be a net loss of biodiversity.

If it goes ahead, HS2 would be England’s biggest infrastructure project in modern times, and we think it should be implemented alongside England’s biggest nature restoration project.

The green vision outlined in The Wildlife Trusts’ report shows that it would be feasible to create around 15,000 hectares of new, interlinked wild places established along the entire length of the route that people can walk, cycle through and enjoy, ultimately providing a ‘net gain’ for wildlife.

Initial costing suggests that environmental restoration on such a large scale could be achieved with less than 1 per cent of HS2’s overall budget of £42bn. A Cost Benefit Analysis undertaken by researchers at Newcastle University shows that the benefits of restoring nature and providing access will outweigh the costs. It was disappointing, but not unexpected, that the HS2 Hybrid Bill went through the Second Reading on April 28 without any changes to the route. There are still opportunities for the design to take real account of the environmental impacts. For instance, the extended tunnel through the Chilterns would save several ancient woodlands that will otherwise be splintered apart.

BBOWT is supporting the request from the Chilterns Conservation Board and Buckinghamshire County Council for the tunnel under Amer-sham to be extended further north. This would avoid the destruction of more than 30 per cent of the ancient woodland affected by phase 1 of HS2.

BBOWT will petition the new Select Committee for the Hybrid Bill, calling for better protection for our two nature reserves Finemere Wood and Meadow, and Calvert Jubilee, which will be directly impacted by HS2. We will also seek more protection for Bechstein’s bats and their habitats in Bernwood Forest, the Colne Valley Site of Special Scientific Interest, which is dissected by HS2 on a viaduct, and ancient woodlands in the Chilterns.

Before the April 28 vote, MPs were given a summary of responses to the Environmental Statement for HS2. In our view this was wholly inadequate and failed to accurately report on the number of impacts on nature reserves, wildlife sites and species. As a result BBOWT commissioned a review of the approach taken by HS2 Ltd to assess the possible impact on Bechstein’s bats and also the impacts of the mitigation proposals. The review, carried out by the University of Leeds, found that unless major changes are made to the route, HS2 (including the mitigation proposals) could result in the local extinction of one of the UK’s rarest mammals.

The HS2 project has all-party support, so there is an increasing likelihood that this vast infrastruc-ture project will eventually be built. This only strengthens our resolve to stand up for wildlife and wild places along the route.