Question to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs:

To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, what estimate his Department has made of the loss of ancient woodland along the route of HS2.

The Government recognises that ancient woodlands are an irreplicable habitat that should be protected. Defra has worked with the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd to ensure that route design and delivery plans minimise any loss of trees as far as possible, and in particular minimise any loss of ancient woodlands and veteran trees.

Ancient Woodland Strategies have been prepared for Phase One and Phase 2a which provide a detailed breakdown of the bespoke compensatory measures being put in place for each woodland affected. A further strategy setting out the impacts on ancient woodland for Phase 2b (Crewe to Manchester) is also being developed.

Measures to compensate for ancient woodland affected by HS2 include: creating new woodland; sensitively moving, or translocating, ancient woodland soils to new sites; and enhancing adjacent parts of ancient woodlands that are not affected by construction. The Government has also committed £7 million to establish the HS2 Woodland Fund, helping landowners within 25 miles of the railway to plant new native woodlands and restore Plantations on Ancient Woodland Sites.

HS2 Ltd have recently published an environmental sustainability progress report, which provides an up-to-date assessment of the impacts of HS2 on ancient woodland. This forecasts that 23.7ha of ancient woodland will be lost during construction of Phase One of HS2. This is a reduction of 5.7ha on what was expected in the Phase One Environmental Statement and includes seven woodland sites where there will now be no impacts at all.

The full report can be found here: 25091_HS2_EnvironmentalSustainabilityProgressReport20-21_CS1547_Final_InteractiveWeb.pdf (publishing.service.gov.uk)