Up to £5 million will be invested to create a network of new wildlife habitats as part of the construction of the High Speed Two (HS2) railway.

The fund will help create woodlands through the spine of England, from London to the West Midlands, and includes planting around seven million new trees/shrubs on the first phase of the railway.

In addition, a separate HS2 Woodland Fund is being established to help local landowners create new native, broadleaf woodlands and restore existing ancient woodland sites.

The first £1m of grant funding is encouraging applications from landowners located up to 25 miles from the phase one route, which passes through parts of Greater London, Hertfordshire, Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Northamptonshire and Warwickshire, as well as the wider West Midlands.


The first round of applications will be open from January 2018.

Transport Minister, Paul Maynard, said: "HS2 is more environmentally responsible than any other major infrastructure project in UK history and this fund will mean more trees can be planted and wildlife habitats created, leaving a lasting legacy which will benefit future generations for many years to come.

"Despite being one of the largest construction projects in Europe, we are minimising the effects on the countryside and communities as much as possible."

Peter Miller, HS2 Environment Director, said: "Ahead of our main construction work, we have started to replace, conserve and enhance any wildlife habitats that will be affected by the railway. Over time, we'll be creating a green corridor of connected wildlife habitats, which will blend the railway into the landscape and support local species ranging from bats to badgers."

(LM)