§ 81. Mr. Nicholas BakerTo ask the Secretary of State for Transport what account he takes of the protection of wildlife when building new roads.
§ Mr. Peter BottomleyProtecting wildlife is carefully considered in our planning. We consult both national wildlife bodies such as the Nature Conservancy Council and local wildlife groups throughout the process.
The effects of new roads are minimised by careful design. Special measures are taken to protect wildlife including deer runs and badger tunnels to provide for safe crossing, fencing and reflectors to discourage animals from straying onto roads.
Tree and shrub planting, which is a major landscape activity of the Department, creates invaluable wildlife habitat. The Department's publication "Transport and the Environment", which is in the Library, gives further details of some of these measures.