11-Oct-2022

Leather Lane Today

The trees, as they were ... (more pictures)

See our News Page for latest information

10-Oct-2022

Help save Ilona

Please Email Mark Thurston, ask why this veteran oak tree is under threat - to plant saplings for screening ?

23-Sep-22

Here is the current status of the campaign. See this page for correspondence (with HS2) regarding Ilona.

Bucks have turned down some aspects of the Bowood Lane schedule 17 application - will they make a similar robust response to the Leather Lane bridge submission ?

30-May-22

See this report on a meeting between the Save Leather Lane campaign, and EKFB, the main contractor - with a positive outcome. Also, this fact sheet, which should clarify some of the issues relating to the oaks.

Leather Lane Bat Walk - what a brilliant evening of bats!

The Campaign hosted held their inaugural bat walk on Leather Lane on Saturday 21 May.

The weather was perfect for the bats - warm and dry, with no wind or rain. Participants identified Noctule, Pipistrelle, Soprano Pipistrelle and Barbastelle bats using heterodyne bat detectors. 

 

2-Apr-22

DEFRA reply

Despite the best efforts of Sarah Green, DEFRA (Lord Goldsmith) came up with the usual boilerplate Greenwash by way of a reply. While claiming that “route design and delivery plans minimise any loss of trees as far as possible” he ignores the fact that our design will save trees threatened by the design proposed by HS2.

Regarding bats, "any development which is likely to impact on the conservation status of bat species must demonstrate that it can implement suitable mitigation and compensation measures to ensure that the ‘Favourable Conservation Status’ of those populations is maintained." The HS2 bridge design clearly cannot do this - we look forward to learning what the contractors intend to do about it

Meeting with contractors soon

At long last, EKFB (the contractor) have supplied our engineer with the necessary data to complete the design for a bridge on the North side of the lane, which avoids the new lane passing (twice) through the avenue of trees. The next step is for our engineer to present this design to the EKFB engineering team, so that it can be compared with their current design. This meeting should be held in the next week or so.

Money !

Designing a road bridge (& associated works) over HS2 requires an experienced engineer, and the campaign has been very fortunate in obtaining the services of a local consultancy (and their design team) to undertake this task. This is not cheap ! More money is needed to put the final touches to the design, including any alterations subsequent to the meeting, and to continue to promote the design with the contractors, and Bucks Authorities. We need your support -

  • Contribute to the Crowdfunder
  • Sign our petition
  • Write to your local councillor, ask them to help save this wildlife corridor for the bats

See the latest Campaign Update here

22-Feb-2022

Letter to DEFRA

The campaign has sent this letter to DEFRA, asking them to intervene to protect the wildlife corridor

10-Feb-2022

Campaign Update

and Minutes of Gt Missenden Meeting

2-Feb-2022

Campaign Statement (about the Gt Missenden Meeting), and HS2 Biodiversity report.

Please sign the petition to preserve the trees.

13-Dec-2021

News update from Lindsey, and a new (Bat) report from Sam Watson.

Leather Lane identified as a bat corridor, used by the endangered Barbastelle bat.

17-Jul-2021

Failures to protect vital ecology and protect biodiversity at Leather Lane ...

A report by the Campaign to Save Leather Lane

"Leather Lane is broadly aligned west-east perpendicular to the A413, making it one of only three single carriageway roads across a stretch of land over 7km long between Frith Hill at Great Missenden to the south and Hale Road at Wendover to the north. Particular to Leather Lane though is the fact that it is also below the level of the adjacent land for much of its length; a ‘holloway’, and there is a continuous hedgerow along the southern side for the entire length of the lane. These two characteristics create a sheltered corridor and optimal conditions for bat activity and it is not unreasonable to suggest that the lane is unique when compared to the other lanes. Landscape scale features that provide high quality commuting routes are a key factor in the maintenance of local bat populations, providing sheltered corridors between roosts and feeding areas."

15-Jul-2021

Petition Update

We demand that EKFB:

  • Stop felling until bridge design is agreed and bats go in to hibernation;
  • Seriously consider the design to route the overbridge to the Northern side;
  • Adopt the design principles submitted by the Chilterns AONB group and fulfil assurances to parliament by allowing a lane instead of a 2 way road, in keeping with the Holloway and Chilterns AONB;
  • Create a green corridor over the track cutting (to retain connectivity between the oaks)  for the bats to prevent unnecessary deaths and protect their conservation status;
  • Fulfil promises and legal obligations that HS2 and EKFB have committed to and are bound by in law;
  • Listen to the community and stop using excuses to sidestep key issues.

28-May-2021

The Northern Route

The new Leather Lane bridge is to be built 'offline' - so that the existing lane can remain open during construction. This was planned to be on the South side of the lane ( to left on the map), possibly to avoid the Hunts Green Sustainable Placement area on the North side.

Way back during the community forum days, it was pointed out that this required the completely unnecessary destruction of the oak trees lining the South bank of the lane. As EKFB now hope to avoid the need for a temporary spoil dump (double handling costs ...), there is no reason why the northern realignment cannot be used, as shown on the map. The circular area excluded from the act limits, described as a copse in the Environmental Statement, is in fact an old chalk pit and can still be avoided.

One complicating factor is the absence of any speed limit on the lanes, which means that the bridges have to be designed for 60mph traffic, far in excess of the safe speed for the remainder of the lane.

25-May-2021

Bat Report - Wild Horizons

6 different bat species were identified around Leather Lane, over a couple of evenings -

"It is conclusive from our findings that bats are evident along Leather Lane. The lane not only provides many suitable potential roost features and potential breeding sites for bats, but also acts as a critical corridor for these mammals in the local landscape."

Felling commences

HS2 contractors EKFB have started felling the line of oak trees standing beside Leather Lane, watched over by a few dozen thugs security personnel ...

... who are mostly standing around doing sod all

Twitter, Facebook

Viewers may find some of the following scenes distressing ...

RSPB - Tree Felling

Jim Ashton - 9:26, 11:26 ; Mar 15 (Nesting boxes removed)

Mark Kier - 10:43

Harrasment of neighbours, Tuesday evening/night

At least we dont live in a police state ??

Leather Lane - Maps

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