National Highways and Natural England sign landmark agreement to strengthen environmental impact

National Highways and Natural England have signed a landmark agreement to support the delivery of world-class national infrastructure whilst ensuring better outcomes for the environment.

This historic agreement marks a significant step towards achieving National Highways' vision of a connected country whilst conserving, enhancing, and managing the natural environment for the benefit of current and future generations.

Signed on the landscape-led A417 Missing Link project, a scheme that aims to deliver 4-miles of a safer road with free-flowing traffic while conserving and enhancing the special character, natural beauty and wildlife of the Cotswolds National Landscape, the new Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) outlines the framework for collaboration between the two organisations.

Its primary aim is improving environmental outcomes along the Strategic Road Network (SRN).

Through this partnership, National Highways and Natural England will work together to ensure that infrastructure development respects and enhances the natural world, and adding to natural and social capital as well as newly built structures, all of which are needed by society.

As one of the largest landowners in England, managing over 30,000 hectares, National Highways has already committed to reconnecting habitats, reversing the decline in biodiversity, creating thriving ecosystems and increasing environmental resilience to a changing climate through its Environmental Sustainability Strategy.

Its 2050 vision is to provide a road network that supports the country's transport needs but also protects and strengthens the natural environment and community wellbeing, with this MoU taking another step on that journey.

Through its Designated Funds programme in the second roads investment period (2020 – 2025), National Highways is investing £402.3m into environmental schemes including those that maximise biodiversity and ensure conservation.

National Highways' Executive Director of Major Projects, Nicola Bell, said: "This landmark agreement with Natural England marks a significant step forward in our commitment to delivering a transport network that not only connects communities but also works in harmony with the environment.

“Our work goes beyond just operating and maintaining our roads and by collaborating more closely with Natural England, we can ensure that our infrastructure projects deliver better outcomes for both people and nature.

“Together, we are setting a new standard for sustainable development that respects and enhances the natural world, helping to create a thriving, resilient environment for future generations." 

Natural England Chief Executive, Marian Spain said: “Recovering nature and development can and must go hand in hand. New roads are some of the most complex and impactful infrastructure projects but there are also opportunities to ensure that the National Highways network can help grow nature as well as enhancing travel and transport.

“Projects like the A417 showcase the positive outcomes for people and nature that can be achieved by working closely together. This memorandum is an important step in embedding this open, early, constructive communications between Natural England and National Highways to deliver our shared objectives of sustainable development.”

Through this partnership, National Highways and Natural England will work together to ensure that infrastructure development respects and enhances the natural world, fostering a harmonious balance between the built and natural environments.

The agreement will help the organisations to:

• Understand approaches and seek alignment on government policies across transport and the natural environment.
• Promote and develop relevant natural environment initiatives that will improve environmental outcomes for species and habitats along and in proximity to the SRN.
• Where relevant, jointly develop research and collaboration opportunities;
• Develop collaborative and effective relationships at all levels (legal, technical, operational and strategic).
• Where practicable engage with each other early on projects with a view to resolving and agreeing issues early in the planning process.
• Develop protocols for managing issues of joint concern with a view to resolving issues in a timely and proportionate manner.
• Share and input into the development and implementations of relevant plans, programmes of work and guidance with the aim of supporting improved environmental outcomes and efficient use of resources.

The MoU was officially signed during a visit to National Highways' A417 Missing Link scheme, a project that exemplifies the partnership's core principles.

The landscape-led A417 scheme is not only creating a vital transport link in the Cotswolds, but also incorporates world-class environmental practices that respect and enhance the surrounding landscape and habitats, including:

• Gloucestershire Way Crossing: A 37-metre-wide multi-purpose crossing, featuring a 27-metre strip of calcareous grassland, hedgerows, and Walkers, Cyclists, and Horse riders (WCH) access, accommodating the Gloucestershire Way path. The third built on the Strategic Road Network, this will be the largest in the country at the time of construction.
• Dual Use Crossings: Two more partially planted crossing will be erected to allow traffic to flow over the main road.
• Biodiversity: The planting of over 100,00 trees and over 8 hectares of calcareous grasslands to ensure the scheme leaves a positive biodiversity legacy.
• Material Recycling: Excavated site rock is recycled on site using 6 crusher plants, breaking down the rock to be used as the new base layer for the road.
• Bat Underpass and Structures: Dedicated bat underpass, bat boxes, structures and habitats such as dead hedging, to support local bat populations and reduce disruption to wildlife.
• Bird Fencing: During construction, high fencing will alter the flight paths of birds to limit collisions with cars.
• Animal Translocation: Translocated over 2,000 reptiles and over 100 Roman snails to ensure the scheme had minimal impact on nature in the area.
• Landscape and Acoustic Bunding: Extensive bunding designed to reduce noise impact and enhance the visual appeal of the landscape.
• Drystone Walling: 7.5km of drystone walling, in keeping with the current landscape and supporting biodiversity.
• Repurposed: A repurposed section of the existing A417, transformed into a ‘purpose-built' restricted byway for WCH users, including disabled users and carriages, planted with species-rich grassland, native hedgerows, and trees.

Steve Foxley, A417 Project Director, added: "It's a privilege to have the Memorandum of Understanding signed at the A417 Missing Link scheme, a project that truly reflects our commitment to sustainable infrastructure.

“This landscape-led scheme is a testament to how we can integrate world-class environmental practices alongside vital transport improvements. From wildlife crossings to new habitats, we've taken great care to ensure that our work respects and enhances the stunning Cotswold landscape.”

Emma Johnson, West Midlands Deputy Director, Natural England, said: “This agreement (MoU) will help us work even better with National Highways to develop strategic approaches to issues such as air pollution. Also to optimise the National Highways' soft estate* to improve the connection of spaces rich in nature and on a grand scale. 

“We have worked with National Highways on the A417 road scheme, which was the location for the MoU signing, to achieve significant improvements to the original proposal. Meaning that the final solution is better for nature and people. 

“The sort of actions that have been agreed include a diversion of the Cotswold Way National Trail onto a new bridge, making use of and improving the old carriageway which will make the trail more accessible.

“The road scheme will benefit Crickley Hill and Barrow Wake SSSI, as well as 72.5ha of new calcareous grassland as part of biodiversity net gain.”

For more on National Highways' environmental commitments here, the A417 Missing Link here, and Natural England here.