East West Rail ‘must do more to protect priority natural habitats and rare bats’, says Wildlife Trust

The East West Railway Company (EWR Co) must do more to protect priority natural habitats and rare barbastelle bats along the planned line, according to wildlife experts.

The Wildlife Trust Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire (BCN) warned the current proposals will result in the fragmentation of the West Cambridgeshire Hundreds, a priority landscape-scale network of wildlife sites identified by Natural Cambridgeshire group of councils and conservation groups.

In particular, barbastelles bat - an under-threat woodland bat species that breeds at Wimpole and Eversden Woods, which is a Special Area of Conservation, and Hardwick Woods, which is a Site of Special Scientific Interest, will be impacted by the new East West Rail line.

Responding to EWR Co’s latest consultation on plans to build the £6bn railway from Oxford to Cambridge, including a new station at Cambourne, the Wildlife Trust says the proposed southern approach into Cambridge South would cause more ecological harm than a northern route.

Martin Baker, Conservation Manager, said: “We need sustainable transport links to help us tackle climate change, the biggest threat facing nature – but they must be carefully planned to minimise harm to nature.

“We are very lucky to have barbastelles, one of the rarest bats in the UK, in Cambridgeshire and more can and should be done in these plans to ensure they remain here for generations to come.

“A lot of work has gone into planning and designating habitats that create a safe haven for nature in our region, and the integrity of these must protected. The network of ancient woodlands and other habitats are vital for nature’s recovery and we are concerned some of that work will be undone by these plans.

“We still believe a northern approach to Cambridge could have less impact on wildlife than the preferred southern route – but wherever the line is, we urge the planners to think again about the nature which makes this part of the country special.”

A spokesperson for EWR Co told the Cambridge Independent: “East West Rail will better connect communities offering greater access to affordable homes and jobs for future generations.

“Our goal is to deliver this much-needed infrastructure in the most cost-effective way, whilst minimising the impact on the natural environment.

“Our railway is being specifically designed to avoid habitats that would require expensive mitigations during the construction and delivery of the railway. As part of this we are working closely with Natural England and we’re thinking carefully about how best to minimise our impacts on protected species and their habitats. “

“We have therefore collected data from local record centres and undertaken extensive surveys that show Barbastelle bats are present in Eversden and Wimpole Woods in Cambridgeshire, as well as the surrounding area.

“We have a legal duty to consider and protect Barbastelle bats as they are protected in the UK under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017 and the information we’ve collected is helping us to develop proposals that minimise the impact on natural environment.”

Chancellor Rachel Reeves has already indicated the government’s priorities.

In her speech on economic growth last month, she told the construction industry to “focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about the bats and the newts”.

And she referred to the cost of the one-mile long bat protection structure that is being built on the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway.

“The lack of bold reform that we have seen over decades can be summed up by £100million bat tunnel built for HS2,” she said.

“The type of decision that has made delivering major infrastructure in our country far too expensive and far too slow.

“So we are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into a nature restoration fund that we have created.”

Meanwhile, in Bedfordshire, the Wildlife Trust BCN called on planners to protect ancient woodlands in the county close to the line, and to consider the cumulative impact of the construction work alongside other major developments nearby, such as the plan for a Universal Studios attraction near Bedford.