The presence of Badgers and reptiles along a route approved for a new guided busway in Bedfordshire gave ADAS the opportunity to demonstrate how practical solutions could be applied to ecological constraints. Working to tight timescales and a fixed price, ADAS Ecologists used their expertise and experience to provide cost effective solutions and ensure that the busway construction programme was not interrupted.
ADAS Ecologists pride themselves not only in being able to identify ecological constraints, but also to understand the importance of those constraints for our clients and offering a fixed price solution. It is that client focussed, solution based approach to ecological mitigation that forms our Environmental Solutions Delivered (ESD) offer.
When ecological constraints are identified, we work with our clients to fully understand their impact on a project. We will always seek opportunities to avoid constraints and the need for costly delays or expenditure, and only if necessary plan and implement appropriate mitigation.
A recent example of the ADAS ESD approach is the Luton Dunstable Guided Busway project that ADAS worked on for BAM Nuttall during 2010. BAM Nuttall was to construct the new busway along the route of a disused railway line between Luton and Dunstable, and like many brown-field sites the route had developed areas of wildlife habitat.
In the summer of 2010, ADAS met with BAM Nuttall to begin to understand any potential constraints that the presence of Badgers could have on the busway development. Several active Badger setts had already been identified along the route and it was initially thought that those setts may have to be closed in order to construct the busway in a narrow corridor. However, by surveying the activity of the Badger populations and gaining an understanding of how and if the setts were used, ADAS was able to determine that the busway could actually be built with limited impact on the badger populations present.
Ultimately, only one active badger sett had to be partially closed under Natural England licence to enable necessary engineering works with the remainder of the sett left undisturbed. A number of other previously identified setts were confirmed as inactive or disused. Closing badger sets can be a costly process, sometimes requiring the construction of artificial setts as compensation. Those setts are not always used and Badgers can instead rapidly construct new setts in very inconvenient locations. Therefore, avoiding the need for sett closure is almost always preferable.
Reptiles were the second ecological constraint on the route, with a good population of Slow Worms confirmed to be present. Receptor sites for the Slow Worms had been identified and prepared on the edge of Luton and in August 2010, ADAS Ecologists set up a large scale capture programme along the 11km busway route. It was vital that all reptiles were removed from the route before they hibernated in the autumn in order to allow major engineering works to take place over the winter. So, working to a fixed timescale and a fixed and inclusive price, ADAS Ecologists worked throughout September removing several hundred Slow Worms from the route.
The Badger and reptile constraints had all been addressed by autumn 2010, enabling BAM Nuttall to progress with their programme of construction works. Avoidance of ecological constraints is always preferable, but where necessary ADAS Environmental Solution Delivered provides our clients with a solution for a fixed price and within a fixed timescale.
For further information on ESD and ecological mitigation please contact David Middleditch on 01954 268300 or 07881 511042, alternatively email david.middleditch@adas.co.uk.