Buckinghamshire council has served a tree preservation order on HS2 Ltd after discovering that the company was cutting down trees in a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).
Sheephouse Wood is a 141 acre (56.9 hectares) biological SSSI east of Charndon in Buckinghamshire. The council said that ‘with its ancient oak trees, diverse ground flora, breeding birds and uncommon invertebrates, this ancient woodland is a cherished site of local, national and international importance for nature conservation’.
It added: ‘It is protected through the planning process.’ However, it said that in recent weeks it had become aware of HS2 Ltd cutting back the wood and made enquiries as to why this was happening.
The company told it that the works are required for safety and technical reasons ‘to protect the bat structure they have decided to construct, and the railway line when it is operational, and that they have been given permission to do this by Natural England’.
The design of the Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure is based around a series of arches
The council said that the order served on HS2 Ltd will ensure that the trees cannot be touched for up to six months and will give it more time to discuss with the company ‘why they believe such brutal action is warranted, identify alternative options and to mitigate the impact of their works’.
It added:’ Preventing the loss of even just one tree in an ancient woodland is worth fighting for.’
Peter Martin, the council’s deputy cabinet member for HS2, said: ‘Part of the agreement we have with HS2 Limited is for “effective collaboration”.
‘Despite this understanding, when we asked HS2 for more information and detail about what they are doing at Sheephouse Wood, they have not satisfactorily answered our questions or engaged in any depth about their plans.
‘We need to know more about their rationale for cutting down irreplaceable ancient trees and as they are unwilling to provide any more detail we have no choice but to serve a TPO on HS2 to protect this ancient woodland.’
The council also pointed out that HS2 Phase One has the objective of seeking to achieve no net loss to biodiversity for the project and this was formalised through the HS2 Act 2017 and published in its January 2016 Environmental Statement.
‘Also their Environmental Statement makes no account for the prospect that this ancient woodland and SSSI would be touched.’
A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: ‘At Sheephouse Wood, we have assent from Natural England to make some limited changes to the western edge of the wood. This includes pruning and the removal of a small number of trees that are at risk of falling within the railway area – and the planting of a wider range of smaller trees and shrubs to improve biodiversity.
‘At the council’s request, we paused work two weeks ago to address their concerns and will continue to engage with them to explain why this work is necessary.’
According to HS2 Ltd, Sheephouse Wood is home to several different bat species, including the most northerly known colony of the rare Bechstein’s bat.
The Sheephouse Wood Bat Protection Structure will run for around 1km alongside the wood at a height of up to 10 metres and is designed to allow bats to cross the line without being harmed by passing trains.
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