Roadside Wages (Wildlife) (Hansard, 1 March 1995)

§ Mr. Watts

This is an operational matter for the Highways Agency. I have asked the chief executive to write the hon. Member.

Letter from Lawrie Haynes to Mr. Elliot Morley, dated 1 March 1995:

The Minister for Railways and Roads, Mr. John Watts, has asked me to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question concerning the measures taken to encourage wildlife habitats on roadside verges.Since 1962 a substantial estate has been established alongside the trunk road network a large part of which is woodland or scrub. This significant area of woodland is now proving valuable for nature conservation. It links existing patterns of vegetation and often complements severed woodlands and forests adjoining the road. The species used are predominantly native and the land suffers little human disturbance. This has allowed natural colonisation by some of our rarest wildflowers which is now complemented by the selective sowing and planting of areas with wildflowers.The practice of planting roadside verges with wildflowers has formed part of the landscape treatment of roads since the mid-1980s and our motorways are increasingly becoming nature reserves in their own right. For example, 384 species of wild flora have been identified along the M1 between London and Leeds. They include rare species as well as 54 species of grass.Effective maintenance will ensure that the landscape and other environmental mitigation objectives are achieved and maintained throughout the life of the scheme. Maintenance is timed to avoid nesting and breeding seasons and glades and rides are created in solid woodland blocks. Where opportunities permit, balancing ponds and watercourses can be managed to create a mosaic of wildlife habitat. Trees, shrubs and wildflowers which fail to establish are removed and replaced and dominant species such as gorse which can stifle the growth of other species is controlled by cutting. The spread of weeds such as docks and ragwort (which is poisonous to livestock) is prevented by cutting or in some circumstances through the selective use of herbicides. To bring trees to maturity in a well-formed, stable and healthy manner periodic thinning will take place, removing those trees which were either planted as nurse crops or are preventing the natural growth of other trees within a planted area. In many cases the wood derived from this process is recycled to provide mulch for new planting.Specific measures taken to encourage wildlife onto roadside verges include work on the A27 Brighton Bypass. On this scheme the use of plant species which attract the Chalkhill Blue is helping to preserve this rare species of butterfly. This work has won an award from Butterfly Conservation, and other measures to preserve butterflies are being planned throughout the country.These examples of work are aimed at the protection of individual species, but much of the work that is implemented is directed at preserving areas of habitat which support a wide range of species. Examples include M1-A1 link road relocation of a wetland site; A31 Ferndown Bypass restoration of heathland SSS1; A361 North Devon Link Road restoration of moorland and re-creation of ponds; and M3 Winchester restoration of chalk Downland. Innovative techniques have been used in all these cases and long term monitoring is underway to help inform future work of a similar nature.We also take measures to deter wildlife from straying onto roads. These include protective measures such as bird and bat boxes, toad and frog tunnels, special fencing for badgers and deer and the construction of otter holts. We also divert and maintain watercourses during construction to prevent stagnation. Rescue plans for dormice have also been implemented, new ponds created for great crested newts and butterfly habitats have been recreated.Advice on the best measures to be taken to encourage wildlife habitats on roadside verges is obtained from English Nature and other conservation bodies and has been incorporated in Volume 10 of the Design Manual for Roads and Bridges which is available from the House of Commons Library.