Biodiversity
Biodiversity Resources
Resources include papers, videos, research summaries and good practice documents produced by authors from across the HS2 Family to capture learning, good practice and innovation from the HS2 programme
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Protection of Great Crested Newts on HS2 when using trackway
This is a summary of good practice and lessons learnt from the Phase One Enabling Works and Phase 2a Ground Investigation and Early Environmental Works about how best to deal with ensuring the protection of amphibians on a major project. The lessons learnt focus on the use of trackway and amphibians, particularly Great Crested Newts.…
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HS2 design approach to green infrastructure
This paper explores the challenges of fragmentation of green infrastructure (GI) and sustainable design solutions to preserve, defragment and strengthen GI. These approaches are explained through a series of HS2 examples of multi-functional green bridges and viaducts. The HS2 case studies used are the Calvert Green Bridges, Edgcote Viaduct and Balsall Common Viaduct. The paper…
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Grassland translocation – successes and solutions
Grendon and Doddershall Meadows Local Wildlife Site (LWS) is located just over 1km west of Quainton in Aylesbury, Buckinghamshire. The LWS citation states that the 24.5 hectare (ha) area was designated due to its large complex of lowland meadow habitat supporting plant species unusual in Buckinghamshire, namely sneezewort (Achillea ptarmica) and fen bedstraw (Galium uliginosum).…
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Artificial badger sett design
To mitigate for the loss of badger setts, closed due to construction of the scheme, over 30 artificial badger setts have been constructed across Phase One under a licence from Natural England. HS2 now have at least two years of monitoring for artificial setts and have reviewed data from both the design stage and post-works…
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Ancient woodland soils translocation
The construction of HS2 will affect ancient woodland sites across Phase One and Phase 2. Translocation of ancient woodland soils to a receptor site to rescue habitats that would otherwise be lost is one of a suite of proposed compensation measures. HS2 has been strongly challenged regarding the effects of the project on ancient woodland…
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The use of remote sensing to identify habitats on a large-scale linear infrastructure project
The majority of large-scale infrastructure projects are required to undertake an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA). This process enables environmental specialists to identify what resources may be impacted by the proposed development in order to influence the design and provide mitigation where required. Part of the process is establishing the pre-existing or baseline conditions. For ecology,…
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Great crested newt licensing for major infrastructure projects: shifting the paradigm
Protected species constraints are an early consideration for nearly every development project, and where impacts cannot be avoided mitigation licensing is a legal requirement. High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd are the licensee for a great crested newt organisational licence, as part of the Phase One works; the largest such licence ever issued by the regulator…
