HS2 diggers have started clearing a corner of ancient woodland that helped inspire Roald Dahl in order to build the £98bn high-speed railway line.
Around 1.7acres of Jones Hill Wood, which stretches across 4.4acres in the Buckinghamshire countryside, is set to be dug up in order to make way for the project.
The ancient woodland, which is home to bats, badgers, tawny owls and foxes. helped inspire Dahl to write Fantastic Mr Fox.
It is one of 20 areas of ancient woodland that will be ‘translocated’ to make way for the new high speed line, which will link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds once complete.
Work began last week to clear a corner of the site, but HS2 officials are still waiting for formal permission to clear the rest.
An HS2 spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We started clearing some vegetation from a corner of the woods where we know there is negligible risk of bats being present, but the rest is still on hold while we wait for agreement from Natural England.’
Security has been beefed up on site, with fencing dividing the work area from the rest of the woodland, following disruption from protesters who set up camp last October.
Among them was Daniel ‘Swampy’ Hooper, who was recently among tunnelers at Euston Square Gardens. He will face an aggravated trespass trial over the Jones Hill Wood protest in May.
It comes just a day after it was revealed the controversial project is facing new ‘cost pressures’ of £800million caused in part by protests at Euston Square Gardens and Covid-19 lockdowns.
More than a third of Jones Hill Wood in Buckinghamshire will be removed as part of work to build the HS2 railway line
A protest camp had to be removed from the ancient woodland last October as campaigners tried to disrupt work at the site
Beloved children’s author Roald Dahl would often walk through Jones Hill Wood, which helped inspire him to write Fantastic Mr Fox
The project’s own documents accept the removal ‘will result in a permanent adverse effect on the conservation status of this woodland that will be significant at the district/borough level’.
Soil from Jones Hill Wood will be ‘translocated to a receptor site on the southern edge of the retained area of the wood,’ while a further 10acres of woodland will be planted east of the site.
Translocation is viewed as the best way at mitigating the impact of removing ancient woodland.
The process involves moving plants, soils, stumps that can regrow, like hazel and elm trees, along with dead wood, to a nearby location, typically another wood or nearby field.
A HS2 spokesman told MailOnline that workers had raised fencing to protect staff from protesters while ecology surveys were carried out on site.
Speaking last August, Luci Ryan, lead policy adviser for infrastructure at the charity said:
‘Just over half a hectare of one wood might not sound much but every inch of soil in an ancient woodland is precious.
The ancient woodland is home to bats, badgers, tawny owls, foxes and plants including bluebells and dog’s violet
The HS2 route would initially link London and Birmingham with the second phase of the project then heading north to Manchester and Leeds
HS2 is waiting for formal permission from Natural England to clear the designated part of Jones Hill Wood, with ecology surveys being carried out in the mean time
The Woodland Trust described the removal of part of Jones Hill Wood as a ‘literary loss’
Yesterday it was revealed that protesters and delays caused by the Covid-19 pandemic could add an additional £800million to the overall cost of the controversial project
Workers are now on site to dig up 1.7 acres of Jones Hill Wood, with soil from the area being moved to a southern part of the ancient woodland
Daniel ‘Swampy’ Hooper was pictured camped 30ft up a tree in Jones Hill Wood last October in a protest against the planned felling of the woodland to make way for the controversial high speed rail line
‘When you consider ancient woodland is irreplaceable, accounts for just 2.4% of land cover in the UK, and is probably the richest habitat we have, this will be devastating for the myriad of species that rely on it for survival.
‘We are in the midst of a climate and nature emergency, with Government saying it is committed to being the first to leave the environment in a better state than they found it.
‘Yet HS2’s wilful destruction of these vital ecosystems suggests otherwise.
‘On top of that the removal of part of Jones Hill Wood is a literary loss. It’s culturally significant, the stuff of childhood memories.
‘Millions of children and their parents have been captivated by the story of Fantastic Mr Fox and his friends the badgers, moles, rabbits and weasels with whom he shares the wood.
‘The story of course will live on. The wood, however, will not.’
The work in Buckinghamshire comes after it was revealed the controversial project is facing new ‘cost pressures’ of £800million caused in part by protests at Euston Square Gardens and Covid-19 lockdowns.
HS2 minister Andrew Stephenson warned half of the potential pressures are due to difficulties related to the redevelopment of London Euston station.
The remainder is as a result of protester action, the pandemic and ensuing lockdowns, and delays in approving designs and obtaining planning consents.
The Department for Transport (DfT) insisted that it expected HS2 to be delivered on budget without the need to increase the contingency fund.
But the report is likely to be embarrassing for the Government, especially after Prime Minister Boris Johnson endorsed the scheme in February 2020.
MPs and ministers who support the rail-line say HS2 will link London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, and rebalance the UK’s economy.
Jones Hill Wood helped inspire Roald Dahl to write Fantastic Mr Fox, the beloved children’s book that was later adopted into a film by Wes Anderson
However, its critics have called the project ‘expensive, wasteful and destructive’, with environmental protesters claiming the line will destroy or irreparably damage 108 ancient woodlands and 693 wildlife sites.
In addition, the Government-commissioned Oakervee Review warned in 2018 that the final bill for HS2 could reach £106billion (at 2019 prices).
Nine eco-warriors including veteran campaigner Swampy, real name Daniel Hooper, were evicted from elaborate tunnels dug in secret under Euston Square Gardens during a month-long operation from January 26.
The coronavirus crisis has also had a financial impact on the rail scheme, due to access delays and reduced productivity.
In a six-monthly report to Parliament, Mr Stephenson explained that the £800million can be covered by contingency funds contained within the £44.6billion budget (in 2019 prices) for Phase 1 between London and Birmingham agreed last year.
An HS2 spokesman told MailOnline: ‘We started clearing some vegetation from a corner of the woods where we know there is negligible risk of bats being present, but the rest is still on hold while we wait for agreement from Natural England’
Documents for the transport scheme say the removal 1.7acres of woodland will have a ‘permanent adverse effect’ on the area
HS2 workers are at the site, with the scheme set to mitigate any impact by translocating soil to a receptor site on the southern edge of the wood
Marquees have been set up within the woodland for HS2 workers to carry out ecology surveys
Soil from the affected area of woodland will be relocated, while a further 10 acres of woodland will be planted nearby
Ecology surveyors have been working at Jones Hill Wood since October, but work began to remove part of the site last week
Separately, HS2 Ltd has also drawn £400million of contingency funds.
Around £11billion (in actual prices) has already been spent on the project, including through land and property acquisition. In addition, contracts have been signed totalling £12.6billion (in 2019 prices).
The line involves the construction of a new Y-shaped 225mph rail network that is expected to connect London, Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.
Construction work started in September on Phase 1 of HS2 from London to Birmingham. Phase 2a is planned to run from Birmingham to Crewe, and Phase 2b from Crewe to Manchester, and from Birmingham to Leeds.
