Government must require HS2 Ltd re-evaluate nature loss and compensate fairly, says Herts and Middlesex Wildlife Trust.
A new evidence report, ‘HS2 double jeopardy: how the UK’s largest infrastructure project undervalued nature and overvalued its compensation measures’ reveals fundamental flaws in the way HS2 Ltd has assessed the value of nature along the construction path of HS2.
It finds that HS2 Ltd has hugely undervalued natural habitats and the wildlife that is being destroyed by the construction along the route – while simultaneously overvaluing the impact of its nature compensation measures.
For example, Phase 1 which covers 140 miles of track between London and the West Midlands, will cause at least 7.9 times more nature loss than accounted for by HS2 Ltd. The new analysis finds that HS2 Ltd has hugely undervalued wild places being destroyed along the route – while simultaneously overvaluing the impact of its nature compensation measures.
The route of HS2 will cut a swathe through Hertfordshire and Middlesex, and the Trust’s Broadwater Lake Nature Reserve is being carved in two through construction of the Colne Valley Viaduct, which will be the UK’s longest railway viaduct at 3.4km. Broadwater Lake is an important wildlife haven, and forms part of the Mid-Colne Site of Special Scientific Interest, providing a particularly important refuge for wildfowl which move from other water bodies in the Valley when they are used for recreational purposes. It’s known to support huge numbers of waterbirds and is particularly important for its breeding population of Pochard, a species which is on the national Red List for species of conservation concern. The reserve is a key stepping stone for wildlife moving across the landscape, such as the Daubenton’s Bat. People too are missing out on an opportunity to visit this once peaceful wildlife haven as the site has been occupied by HS2.