News on HS2 in Warwickshire

A group of Kenilworth residents are briefed during a site visit to HS2 enabling works at Crackley Gap. Initial work is now complete in the area.

Residents of Kenilworth in Warwickshire have taken the opportunity to visit the latest HS2 works at Crackley Gap. They were concerned that sections of hedgerow and some trees were being removed during the bird nesting season that runs from March to August. They donned protective clothing to see the work for themselves - and to be briefed on the steps that are taken to ensure that no nesting birds are disturbed during the enabling works.

All wild bird species, their nests and their young, are protected throughout England and Wales by the Wildlife & Countryside Act. This act makes it illegal to kill, injure or take any wild bird, or damage or destroy the nest or eggs of breeding birds.

However, the removal of trees, hedgerows and the clearance of vegetation is permitted so long as strict procedures are followed, supervised by a full time Ecological Officer in compliance with a working method statement.

The Ecological Officer carries out checks on the ground, in hedges and in trees prior to any vegetation clearance work being carried out. If nesting birds are found, any works that may damage or destroy the nest, eggs or young birds, are immediately stopped. An exclusion zone is then put around the nests and this remains in place until the birds have completed breeding, the young have fledged, and the Ecology Officer has checked the nest. Only at that point is work allowed to continue.

> Enabling - or early – works are being carried out by LM, a joint venture between Laing O’Rourke and J. Murphy & Sons, to prepare the route in advance of the main construction works.