A billion-pound railway line linking Oxford and Cambridge is a bellwether for the obstacles facing British infrastructure projects.
The project, named East West Rail, would provide a direct connection between the two university cities for the first time since the 1960s, via Bedford, Milton Keynes and Bicester.
Ministers want it to play a vital role in the government’s plan to create a £78bn growth corridor between Oxford and Cambridge, an area known as a hub for tech, life science and AI firms.
In a speech in Oxfordshire in January, Rachel Reeves boldly proclaimed it would create “Europe’s Silicon Valley.” East West Rail itself is estimated to boost the Oxford-Cambridge economy by £6.7bn per year by 2050.
But one issue threatens to de-rail the plans.
Bats and newts have become totemic of delays to building projects in recent years, fuelled by comments from high-profile politicians such as Deputy PM Angela Rayner and revelations surrounding HS2’s notorious £100m Buckinghamshire “bat shed.”
HS2 faced flack in large part because it had dithered for nearly 10 years on the best way to solve its bat conundrum.
While some coverage has been blown out of proportion, infrastructure bosses have long called for a dilution of environmental regulations.
A wildlife site stands in the way
The case of East West Rail is a complex one, and opposition to bypassing environmental red tape is sterner than that of many other major infrastructure schemes.
The Oxford-Bicester section of the route has already opened. However, the eastern part is still in the first stage of the DCO process, as it has been classified as a “nationally significant infrastructure project.”
Cambridgeshire County Council has warned of a potentially catastrophic impact on local colonies of rare barbastelle bats despite backing an employment boost and better transport links.
But the rail project’s architects argue they have already created a “bat house” for seven species. East West Rail has also created a number of ponds to house populations of great crested newt.
Those moves have yet to quell critics. The local council has suggested the creation of a local “community fund” would handle disruption to local residents and the environment.
A key issue also centres around a section of farmland near the villages of Barton and Comberton, known as Westfield.
Last week, local councils and the Wildlife Trust granted Westfield County Wildlife Site status. This does not give statutory protection but will put further pressure on East West Rail to mitigate any potential impacts.
East West Rail reiterated a pledge last week to deliver a 10 per cent biodiversity net gain for the project rather than simply replacing anything lost to construction.
However, it is not yet clear how Westfield’s new status will impact the project.
The momentum is behind East West Rail
Despite the challenges, the momentum is behind East West Rail. The government has firmly backed the project and many in the railway industry are keen to see the UK prove itself after the debacle of HS2.
It is a line that has been pushed by the project’s chief executive, David Hughes, who argued in November the project would “reset” the UK’s reputation.
More importantly for Hughes, though, an announcement on Monday revealed Reeves’ shake-up of cumbersome red tape would include a review of guidance on protecting bats.
According to the Times, the regulator Natural England will drop a requirement for planning officials at local councils to read guidance produced by the Bat Conservation Trust, in a decision described by the charity as a “shock.”
“It should not be the case that to convert a garage or outbuilding you need to wade through hundreds of pages of guidance on bats,” the Treasury said in a statement.