Concerns raised over ‘Berlin Wall for wildlife’
“DEADLY” fences erected as part of HS2 works are dividing Solihull’s countryside and fuelling fears the route will create “a Berlin Wall for wildlife”.
Balsall Common resident Richard Lloyd has raised renewed concerns about the impact “miles and miles” of barriers, along the length of the route, will have on deer and other mammals.
Warning of reports from around the country that animals were getting trapped or fatally injured, he urged Solihull Council to “take serious steps” to address the risks in the construction corridor.
HS2 has insisted that there had been careful consideration about the fencing installed.
However, Mr Lloyd told this week’s HS2 implementation advisory group there had been worries about the impact on habitats since the earliest stages of the project. He quoted a Times article, published almost ten years ago, which first made the comparison between HS2 and the Cold War-era wall that once separated the German capital.
It alluded to the fear that large-scale infrastructure projects, such as roads or railways tracks, can sever migration routes and wildlife corridors
“This impact is internationally recognised,it’s probably been known for half a century,” he said.
“That particularly deadly style of fencing, where you have two strands of wire at the top, that’s almost purpose designed to trap deer that try and get over it.”
He said he had recently discovered the tracks of a Muntjac stranded between two lines of fencing and while he wasn’t sure it had been able to escape, he added it “was in for a very long walk.”
Jonathan Lord, HS2 Ltd’s senior area engagement manager, said that “managing and mitigating” the impact on wildlife was a key part of the scheme, and defended the use of “stock-proof fencing” as part of the works. “The type of fencing is very carefully considered,” he told the meeting.
Concerns that HS2 works were shearing wildlife habitats in two were previously raised in 2019, with particular questions about the barriers encircling the Park Lane depot, at Balsall Common.
A NEW Arden Forest – with thousands of trees providing a “continuous” wildlife corridor – is to be created in Solihull.
A huge programme of planting is planned across the borough, as part of a project named after the sprawling woodland which once covered great swathes of the region.
Details of the ambitious initiative were announced recently and follow the council’s commitment last year to plant a quarter of a million trees within 10 years.
Councillor Andy Mackiewicz, cabinet member for climate change, planning and housing, said the aim was to create interconnected habitats across the borough.
“It also links with our message to government on planning reform that better protection needs to be lent to Solihull’s green belt,” he said.
“To achieve this vision the council will work closely with residents and landowners to explore opportunities for tree-planting and rewilding.”
He said the importance of proposals had been made even more apparent by how many residents had drawn comfort from green spaces during the lockdowns.
“Nature has been a lifeline for many, if not all of us, during the pandemic. Now more than ever as part of our recovery, both economic and social, I believe we must invest in nature.”
The project will build on the work of the flagship Wildlife Ways project, which also put great emphasis on “linking up” green spaces which have become increasingly fragmented.
The Green Party, Solihull’s official opposition, welcomed more treeplanting but raised concerns about whether there will be proper compensation for those areas of vegetation to be cleared to make way for thousands of new homes.
Councillor Max McLoughlin, planning spokesman, said: “Tree-planting is an essential part of addressing the climate emergency. My concern is that we won’t be planting enough, and we won’t see net gains in tree planting.
“The CO2 just from the building of the homes in the Local Plan would need 2.7 million trees to absorb.”