The following link is a letter from Angela Moore, External Affairs Manager for the RSPB, to: Communications Directorate, Department for Transport, and signed by Emma Marsh, Director, RSPB England;
FAO Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for TransportCC Mark Thurston, CEO, High Speed 2 Ltd
https://community.rspb.org.uk/ourwork/b/rspb-england/posts/what-hs2-must-do---our-letter-to-the-department-for-transport
Angela Moore
External Affairs Manager, Communications Directorate
Department for Transport
FAO Grant Shapps MP, Secretary of State for Transport
CC Mark Thurston, CEO, High Speed 2 Ltd
3rd March 2020
Dear Sirs,
Re: High Speed 2
We are responding to the Department for Transport’s email of 11 February confirming the Government’s intention to proceed with HS2 and inviting any feedback or questions.
We have noted the claim that “there is a plan to ensure that this is one of the most environmentally responsible infrastructure projects ever delivered in the UK”. This is a welcome ambition, but sadly we feel there is a wide gap between ambition and reality for HS2 and its impact on nature. We believe HS2 as currently planned will cause a significant net loss of biodiversity and that the Government’s claim is unjustified.
The RSPB and the wider environment sector have worked hard over many years to engage with HS2 Ltd over the mitigation and compensation package. However, on many important issues our advice has not been followed. For example:
We do not think this is good enough. However, we are still prepared to work with HS2 Ltd, the Department for Transport and other stakeholders to help make HS2 fit for purpose in the context of a climate and ecological emergency. But, for us to justify our continued engagement we would need some assurances of the Government’s positive intent. These are:
We have already witnessed ethically and practically doubtful tactics such as Harris hawks being used in an ill-informed attempt to deter birds from nesting in a wood, and notification to the Woodland Trust that undergrowth from other ancient woodlands will be cleared as another tactic to try to deter birds from nesting in places where later they might be destroyed. Such activities raise concerns about the professional competence of the ecological advisors HS2 Ltd is using and they certainly cannot be held up as environmentally responsible best practice.
We will consider any attempt by HS2 Ltd’s contractors to claim that destruction of active birds’ nests was not intentional and was the incidental result of a lawful operation that could not reasonably have been avoided, to be legally and morally dubious. Local people are watching events on the ground with keen eyes and the RSPB is bound to advise them to contact the police when an offence under the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 is suspected.
Unless we see clear commitment from the Government and HS2 Ltd on the above points the RSPB cannot justify further positive engagement with you to try to improve this project, not least to our 1.2 million members, many of whom are deeply concerned about HS2 and other major infrastructure projects. Far from being “one of the most environmentally responsible infrastructure projects ever delivered in the UK” HS2 will stand as an example of worst practice in the face of the climate and ecological emergency, one that cannot be repeated as other major infrastructure projects are brought forward.
In the worsening climate and ecological emergency, it will be impossible to achieve the ambitions in the 25-year Environment Plan if major infrastructure projects such as HS2 are allowed to do this amount of damage as well as proceeding without a full understanding of the carbon footprint.
I invite you to respond to us in writing, giving the assurances we ask for, in which case members of my team will be in touch with HS2 Ltd to discuss the practical ways in which we can help.
Yours sincerely
Emma Marsh
Director, RSPB England
Another link you might want to read is form the RSPB's own web pages:
High Speed 2; Overview
https://www.rspb.org.uk/our-work/our-positions-and-casework/casework/cases/high-speed-2/