National Highways report acknowledges SRN’s impact on nature
National Highways has set out a range of measures under consideration as part of its newly published environmental sustainability strategy, which it describes as a manifestation of its “growing focus on its impact on nature”.
Launched to coincide with the recent UN Biodiversity Day, National Highways says that as one of the country’s largest landowners with 30,000 hectares of green land, it is vital that the organisation commits to using its green land to reconnect habitats, reverse the decline in biodiversity, help wildlife thrive and build in environmental resilience to a changing climate.
The strategy acknowledges the environmental impact of the network, which has been developed over the last 60 years, “causing severance issues for nearby communities, fragmenting habitats, altering waterways and affecting the natural characteristic of the surrounding landscape.”
In addressing these issues the strategy makes a series of major commitments to map out what it describes as a green future for the 4,500-mile network with a focus on three key areas – the protection and enhancement of nature, carbon reduction and support for community health and wellbeing.
This includes using land to reconnect habitats that have been severed around and adjacent to the network, contributing to the national effort to reverse the decline in biodiversity, helping wildlife thrive by providing quality habitats, and building environmental resilience to a changing climate through initiatives such as natural flood management.
It also commits to investing in measures to remove carbon from the network, support the transfer to zero-emission vehicles, develop new ways to reduce pollution and enhance historic and cultural features on, or close to, major roads.
Nick Harris, National Highways’ Chief Executive, said, “Most journeys will still be made by road in 2050 so it is more important than ever that we manage our network in a way that balances the needs of today with those of tomorrow.
“This is why we are passionate about making our network as environmentally sustainable as it can be. From the air that we breathe to the natural resources that we use to create and innovate; our economy, health and wellbeing depend upon a thriving environment.
“With 4,500 miles of motorways and major A-roads, we are uniquely placed to play an active and positive role in achieving this, ensuring that our network can be a force for good.”
Specific interventions that could be delivered as part of the plan include:
Erecting solar panels on noise barriers as part of a wider commitment to deliver renewable energy to the network
Introducing wetlands for natural flood management
Improving the visibility of heritage features from the road
Improve all the SSSIs
Improve all Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSIs) in our ownership and support wider enhancement where we can
Taking action to address high-risk outfalls, improving the quality of water being discharged from the network into nearby rivers
Connecting natural habitats on either side of a road by adapting existing bridges and underpasses and installing new features, such as green bridges, where beneficial
Minimising particulate air, water and noise pollution through research and innovative design solutions which could include better construction materials to help to reduce emissions at the tyre-road interface.