News
Bechstein’s Bats at Finemere Wood. What now for Hs2?
12th June 2011
On the 27th of May BBOWT confirmed the discovery of a site of endangered Bechstein’s Bats located on the proposed route of HS2, at Finemere Wood, near Quainton. These bats were discovered unexpectedly last year during a survey by the North Bucks Bat Group. These are the rarest of the 17 bat species we have left in the UK, if not the rarest mammal in the UK (equivalent to our panda or tiger). They are an endangered Red List species. Their roosts are typically protected by top EU Environmental laws and regulations, commanding the highest conservation status of Special Area of Conservation (SAC). The population is an impressive size for these species and it has been established that this includes a maternity roost, located in the vicinity of these woods. As a substantial breeding site this makes it even more valuable as a site for conservation and protection from disruption. This is an amazing discovery, especially considering that these bats are on the decline and find it difficult to settle somewhere new, as they have done at Finemere Wood.
We’ve been keeping an eye on subsequent developments and have been in touch with the conservation groups involved with the Finemere Bechstein’s Bats including Natural England, BBOWT and the North Bucks Bat Group, to gain a sense of the possible outcome. At this stage there is nothing concrete to report in terms of how this will affect HS2 or in fact how HS2 might impact on the bats if it were built. Discussions with the various conservation and environmental groups have revealed an unfortunate factor in the protection of the bats at Finemere, in the context of developments like HS2. SAC sites are so highly protected they would not typically be considered as sites for development. However, the discovery at Finemere is recent and has not been designated as an SAC (though it has the appropriate criteria to qualify for an SAC). Therefore it is not subject to the same high level protection as other such sites around the country and subject to potential development.
Hs2 Ltd’s response has been an initial tweet on Thursday 2nd June, saying “It’s too early to say if Bechstein’s bats would be affected by #HS2, if they were we would work with Natural England to avoid impact on them”. This has since been clarified by a more formal statement published on Friday (10th June) on their website, stating that they are seeking to avoid any impact on the bats on the basis of advice from the conservation groups involved such as BBOWT and North Bucks Bat Group and their statutory advisor Natural England.
The North Bucks Bat Group and BBOWT have made it clear that if HS2 is built in its current design/plan it would have a devastating impact on the bats. Mitigation of the impact of HS2 on the bat’s habitat would be required to allow HS2 to be built through this area, which HS2 Ltd have indicated they would incorporate in the detailed design of HS2 (after HS2 is approved). In this instance, engineering would be a primary tool for trying to protect these bats in the advent of HS2 being approved. This could mean a green tunnel past Finemere Wood. Our understanding is that mitigation does not guarantee the survival of these bats, which are sensitive to disruption and picky about where they live, but it would allow HS2 to be built.
In Hs2 Ltd’s statement they add, “It’s worth noting that the current proposed route for HS2 goes along a freight railway line already in use, and does not cut through Finemere Wood or other woodland in the area”. That may be the case, but it is worth recognising that a high speed railway line does not need to cut straight through woodland inhabited by bats to be a threat to bats. As North Bucks Bat Group informed me, bats use the habitat in a spatially complex manner, as they use various different sites around Finemere woods for various functions and they need uninterrupted access to these sites. In its current proposed form, HS2 would pass straight through this spatial complex, disrupting their flight paths and creating a barrier between their feeding and breeding grounds.
It is clear that the conservation groups and experts involved with the bats at Finemere are extremely concerned and frustrated at the Government’s approach to the environmental impact of the proposed HS2 route. As decisions on HS2 are made prior to an environmental impact assessment, this has resulted in the discovery of the Bechstein’s bats along the route, much later in the process i.e. after site/route selection. This approach is a significant flaw in the planning of HS2, as it is unclear yet how many other rare species and habitats are at risk, as there has been no strategic environmental assessment of the route. It also assumes that the impact on all such wildlife can be mitigated in every instance, before fully understanding the reality of what is on the route and what these species and habitats require for protection.
We are yet to see the outcome of the guidance currently being given to HS2 Ltd by the various environmental and conservation groups but we will be watching closely and reporting back.
Related articles:
Hs2 Ltd’s response to the Bechstein’s Bats discovery published on Friday (10th June) on their website at: http://hs2ltd.wordpress.com/2011/06/10/bechsteins-bats/
Media coverage:
http://www.bucksfreepress.co.uk/news/9059204.Rare_bats_discovered_on_HS2_route_in_Bucks/
http://www.bucksherald.co.uk/news/local/could_tiny_creature_be_bat_out_of_hell_for_hs2_1_2736502
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/8550462/Rare-bat-raises-new-problems-for-high-speed-rail.html
Quainton and Waddesdon protest hailed a success
27th May 2011
On Saturday 21st May, hundreds turned out to hear John Bercow, and anti-HS2 campaigners Penny Gaines of Stop HS2 and Richard Birch of BBOWT, calling for an end to HS2 and rallying campaigners to fight on.
Speaking at the event John Bercow, MP for Buckingham and Speaker of the House, said that we were fighting a war of attrition, and that it was working, but we must carry on doing what we are doing to protest this scheme. He said that there was no business case and absolutely no good reason to allow such a project to go-ahead, when it would destroy beautiful countryside and rare habitats, which local people should do everything they can to protect as stewards of their environment.
John Bercow also advised that when answering the consultation questions, that those opposed to HS2 should make the statement that they are categorically 100% opposed to HS2 within each of their answers, to ensure that this feedback cannot be misinterpreted.
The protest succeeded in raising awareness of the often neglected threat that HS2 poses to wildlife and the environment, both locally and nationally. Locals showed their concerns with a bit of fun, by wearing the outfits of local creatures such as caterpillars, butterflies and bumble bees.
Coverage of the event can be seen in the Bucks Herald, at this link.
Useful links:
Stop HS2 www.stophs2.org
Berkshire, Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trusts (BBOWT) www.bbowt.org.uk
What’s all the noise?
26th May 2011
On Saturday 21st May, The government-backed HS2 Ltd presented noise maps and sound simulations of what they believed the train would sound like to people living metres from the line. The overwhelming reaction from those that attended was, ‘what a load of rubbish’ and ’do they expect me to believe that?’
With a distinct lack of information about peak noise levels, noise experts assuring us that the average noise of sound is a far better way to measure the audio impact, and sound simulations with birds tweeting loudly followed by gentle whooshes of trains in the background, many were unconvinced and felt deceived.
A recent blog, ‘We don’t believe you’, gets to the route of the dubious sound levels and outlines how HS2 Ltd have found ways to understate the potential noise pollution from HS2: http://hs2andtheenvironment.wordpress.com/2011/05/25/we-dont-believe-you/ . Here we see the DfT’s own reports cast doubt on the reliability of the sound simulations when scrutinized more closely.
When a Eurostar train creates 104 decibels 25 metres away from the track, how do the government expect locals to take them seriously?
