Taxpayers face a £40m bill for a mesh shield to prevent endangered bats living in ancient woodland on the path of HS2 being hit by trains travelling at up to 225 miles per hour.
French engineering firm Eiffage is working with British contractor Kier to erect an 850 metre “tunnel” over the new track at Sheephouse Wood, Buckinghamshire.
Plans for the “Sheephouse Wood Bat Mitigation Structure” have been disclosed under public procurement transparency rules and follows a high-profile campaign by conservationists including the BBC television presenter Chris Packham.
They argued HS2 should not be built, to protect the ancient woodlands which are home to Bechstein bats, one of Britain’s rarest mammals.
HS2 is Europe’s most expensive building project, and was on track to cost taxpayers about £100bn before Boris Johnson cancelled its eastern leg to Leeds.
Lord Berkeley, a civil engineer and former deputy chairman of a government review into the future of HS2, said: “Although it is understandable that HS2 wants to mitigate the impact of the line on local wildlife, spending up to £40m to protect bats seems completely excessive.
“It is just the latest example of the type of excesses that are rife across the project. HS2 bosses appear to feel they have a free hand to spend, spend, spend now that the Government has backed the line.
“Ministers must ensure that there is accountability for every pound of taxpayer money that is spent on the line – or the costs, already eye-watering – will swallow up the total budget of the Independent Rail Review, leaving nothing for the more important local services improvement.
A spokesman for HS2 said: “Bechstein bats are one of Britain’s rarest species of bat and are protected by strict UK environmental legislation. The protection structure at Sheephouse Wood, which was designed following extensive consultation with leading bat experts, will keep the bats away from passing trains and allow HS2 to meet our legal obligations to avoid harming them and other bat species.
“A number of different options were looked at for this structure during the design process and, working closely with Natural England, this one was judged to provide the required protection and at the best value. In addition, this structure is designed for four tracks, making it possible for any future local services between Aylesbury and Milton Keynes to operate in the area.”
