Bat safety shed will cost £100m, says HS2 chairman

The current HS2 chairman asked “did people think about the bats?” when setting the project’s budget

Getty Images A night sky with a bat flying across the black background and an elderflower tree to the left with white spray flowers and green leaves. The bat has its mouth open and its wings are spread open wide. It has a white furry body and brown head with pointy ears. — The current HS2 chairman asked “did people think about the bats?” when setting the project’s budget

A special shed that will be built to protect bats will cost £100m, according to the chairman of HS2 Ltd.

Sir Jon Thompson told a rail industry conference the bat protection structure in Buckinghamshire was needed to appease Natural England, as bats are legally protected in the UK.

The 1km (0.6 mile) curved barrier will cover the tracks alongside Sheephouse Wood near Calvert in Buckinghamshire, to prevent bats being disturbed by high-speed trains.

Sir Jon said there was “no evidence that high-speed trains interfere with bats”.

“We call it a shed,” he said.

“This shed, you’re not going to believe this, cost more than £100m to protect the bats in this wood.”

Natural England has been contacted for comment.

The barrier will allow bats to cross the high speed line without being disturbed (artist’s impression)

PA Media A bat protection structure which will run for around one kilometre (0.6 miles) alongside the wood, creating a barrier allowing bats to cross above the high-speed HS2 railway without being affected by passing trains. The drawing shows trees and grass either side of a railway line, with a black wire fence on the left side of the track and a curved structure over with stripes over the top. — The barrier will allow bats to cross the high speed line without being disturbed (artist’s impression)

Other more expensive options, including a bored tunnel and re-routing the railway, were considered.

After receiving the green light from Natural England for the design, HS2 Ltd was forced to spend “hundreds of thousands of pounds” on lawyers and environmental specialists because the local council did not approve the work, Sir Jon said.

“In the end, I won the planning permission by going above Buckinghamshire Council’s head,” he explained.

The bat protection structure will run for 1km over the railway line, costing £100m

PA Media Ariel view of an artist's impression of Sheephouse Woods with the railway running alongside it, covered by the curved barrier to protect bats - which looks like a tunnel that is above ground. — The bat protection structure will run for 1km over the railway line, costing £100m

Buckinghamshire Council opposes HS2 and has previously criticised the project for “unnecessarily damaging Sheephouse Wood”.

The deputy cabinet member for HS2, Peter Martin, said: “Whilst the council wishes to protect species such as Bechstein’s bats, one of the country’s rarest species, it was never supportive of what seemed like extremely excessive costs for a single structure.

“HS2 Ltd has always been adamant that the bat tunnel structure, which has been designed and built by HS2 Ltd’s own contractor, and the associated costs, were necessary, but it is not something we insisted on.”

‘Trite’

Sir Jon claimed the issue was an example of the UK’s “genuine problem” with completing major infrastructure projects.

He told the Rail Industry Association’s annual conference that HS2 Ltd had been required to obtain 8,276 consents from other public bodies in order to build phase one of the railway, between London and Birmingham.

He said: “People say you’ve gone over the budget, but did people think about the bats [when setting the budget]?

“I’m being trite about it, but I’m trying to illustrate one example of the 8,276 of these [consents].”

Sir Jon, who has led the project since Mark Thurston left his role as chief executive in September 2023, warned in January that the estimated cost for phase one had soared to as much as £66.6bn – compared to the £37.5bn forecast in 2013.