Natural England confirms: NO wildlife licences issued to HS2 for Scrubs works
“Natural England have not issued HS2 Ltd licences for works affecting bats on Wormwood Scrubs”
“Natural England have not issued HS2 Ltd with any protected species licences for works on Wormwood Scrubs”
“It is for HS2 Ltd and their contractors to determine whether their activities require a licence.”
“Roosts of common species and potentially maternity roosts or roosts of rarer bats could be present” - Environmental Statement 2013
“Maternity roosts of common species and roosts of rare species could be present in the trees along the canal and in woodlands nearby” - HS2 Environmental Statement 2015
A Freedom of Information (FOI) request by Friends of the Scrubs Trustee Faye Thomas to Natural England today received a stunning reply: Natural England, the national body which issues licences to developers for work impacting on habitats and species, has never issued to HS2 any works licences regarding bats or any other protected species.
The HS2 Environmental Statement from 2015 which underpinned the AP4 decision to acquision land on WS states (p64 in a pdf of the document)
“5.2.72 The transect surveys from PRoW at Wormwood Scrubs Park recorded regular, very low level, dispersed commuting and foraging activity from common and soprano pipistrelle bats with a single pass also recorded from a noctule bat. Soprano pipistrelle and noctule bat are species of principal importance (SoPI12). The assemblages of bats commuting and foraging in railway land at Old Oak Common, at the Grand Union Canal and adjacent woodland and Wormwood Scrubs are considered to be of local/parish value. In the absence of access for survey it has been assumed that maternity roosts of common species and roosts of rare species could be present in the trees along the canal and in woodlands nearby, and hence assemblages of up county/metropolitan value could be present. “
It seems no trees have ever been surveyed for the presence of bat roosts. The 2015 Environmental Statement was based on reviewing data from the 2013 ecological study which took place prior to HS2 announcing plans to divert the sewer onto WS, requiring the felling of trees - so they only conducted a “transect” study of the open grassland... they never surveyed for roosts.
The London-West Midlands environmental statement of 2013 stated:
“section: 2.4.67: It is considered that roosts of common species and potentially maternity roosts or roosts of rarer bats could be present.” (P. 32 in a pdf of the document)
Faye commented today: “so essentially; HS2 know that there are bats on Wormwood Scrubs and their own surveys note the likelihood of maternity roosts; they have deliberately failed to commission any tree surveys - and Natural England have confirmed that HS2 do not have any licenses to carry out works that will impact bats, and also noted that “It is an offence to knowingly impact bats and their roosts without a valid licence from Natural England”.. ..as well as noting that it’s HS2s self-governing responsibility to determine the need for licenses...
Faye has given us permission to share the response with us here - click on the buttons below to download it with the accompanying information note by Natural England.