Position statement on the A417 road scheme

Summary

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) acknowledges the need for the road scheme and does not object to it in principle. However, this location contains biodiversity features of national and international importance and is an integral part of Gloucestershire’s Nature Recovery Network. The scheme separates Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake nature reserves which are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their wildlife and geology. Only 1% of this special grassland remains in the Cotswolds and these sites are one of the few remaining strongholds for many threatened plants and animals. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust jointly owns and manages Crickley Hill with the National Trust. 

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust wants a solution for the A417 'missing link' road scheme that protects the most important wildlife habits and sees the Government and Highways England to deliver on their commitments to enhance and connect wildlife habitats, not just minimise further damage. There have been improvements over the last year, but unacceptable impacts on the Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake SSSI and the failure to achieve Biodiversity Net Gain mean that the scheme is set to have a significant adverse impact on wildlife.  

Latest update

On 16 November 2022 Transport Minister Huw Merriman MP approved the A417 'Missing Link' - an important landscape-led road project that will improve road safety, reduce traffic congestion, and improve connectivity for road users and local communities, while unlocking economic growth in Gloucestershire and beyond.

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust has been working closely with colleagues at the National Trust and Cotswolds National Landscape as stakeholders of this project, and issued the below joint statement: 

We note the decision has been made to move ahead with the A417 ‘Missing Link’ road scheme, addressing long standing traffic and safety concerns.

Cotswolds National Landscape, Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust and the National Trust have worked collaboratively to help National Highways move towards a genuinely landscape-led road scheme that can deliver a lasting, beneficial legacy for the Cotswolds landscape, its wildlife, people and history. 

Our engagement has resulted in positive changes and, whilst we recognise efforts from National Highways to improve protections for wildlife, we remain disappointed that the scheme will not deliver overall biodiversity net gain. 

We are passionate about our role in protecting the natural beauty, diverse wildlife and unique heritage of this important landscape. We will continue to engage with National Highways to ensure the protections set out in the planning application (DCO) are delivered, and to identify additional opportunities to improve the outcomes for nature and people.

Statement detail

Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust (GWT) acknowledges the need for the road scheme and does not object to it in principle. However, this location contains biodiversity features of national and international importance and is an integral part of Gloucestershire’s Nature Recovery Network. The scheme separates Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake nature reserves which are a designated Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) for their wildlife and geology. Only 1% of this special grassland remains in the Cotswolds and these sites are one of the few remaining strongholds for many threatened plants and animals. Gloucestershire Wildlife Trust jointly owns and manages Crickley Hill with the National Trust. 

Since 2016, the Trust has engaged with development of the scheme and consistently stated that it should align with the Government’s 25 Year Environment Plan and the Environment Act. There has been positive engagement and improvements to the scheme since 2019, notably the addition of a substantial green bridge to support ecological connectivity.  Despite this, the road scheme design doesn’t adequately address GWT’s two key concerns 

• The large Biodiversity Net Loss that the scheme is projected to deliver 

• Adverse impacts on the Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake SSSI

Unless further design changes are made, the Wildlife Trust believes that the scheme could have a significant adverse impact on wildlife in this landscape and does not fully reflect the aspirations of the Government’s own 25 Year Environment Plan, which calls for ‘net gain’ for wildlife,   

During the examination period, GWT called for the scheme to do more to protect, enhance and connect the most important wildlife habitats in this landscape. GWT made numerous recommendations to improve the scheme’s impact on biodiversity and we hope these will be reflected in the examiner’s report to the Secretary of State. The key recommendations of GWT were  

• Identify more mechanisms to ensure the scheme delivers Biodiversity Net Gain aligned with the Nature Recovery Network. 

• Suitable new accessible greenspace is sought to mitigate increased recreational pressure on the Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake SSSI. 

• Develop a plan to avoid species extinctions during the time between habitat being destroyed and replaced.