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A council mentioned it’s being pressured to foot a £4.3 million invoice for a bat bridge and tunnel so as to defend a uncommon bat species that has appeared within the space.
Lincolnshire County Council claimed it was disputing the prices for the “ridiculous” bridge and tunnel which it has been advised should be constructed so as to go forward with street building close to Lincoln.
It beforehand claimed that Pure England would object to the planning software for the development if motion was not taken. However the public physique mentioned it gave no path that such measures need to be taken and by no means required the construction to be constructed.
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Reform UK council chief Sean Matthews mentioned: “Utilizing £4 million of taxpayer cash on bat bridges and tunnels is an absolute farce, and I’m 100 per cent towards paying this extortionate quantity.”
However he mentioned there may very well be a situation the place the price of delaying the challenge prices greater than the council would save to combat the requirement.
“That completely doesn’t imply I’ve resigned to paying this £4 million. I’ll proceed doing every little thing I can, for so long as I can, to save lots of taxpayer cash on this scheme,” he added.
He mentioned the development of the North Hykeham Reduction Street would nonetheless begin in early 2026 as anticipated.
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The council mentioned it has been advised it should construct a grassed-over bridge close to the street to cater for the flight path of the barbastelle bat, a uncommon and susceptible species within the UK. It added it additionally has to construct a bat tunnel and bat “hop-overs” to permit area for them to cross the street safely.
A spokesperson for Pure England mentioned: “Pure England was not consulted over bat mitigation for the North Hykeham Reduction Street and as such, we didn’t require, ‘demand’ or design the bat ‘culvert’ and ‘bridge’ mitigation.
“The proposals have been designed by the builders primarily based on their very own ecological surveys and authorized obligations.”
In January, Cambridgeshire County Council warned that the East West Rail challenge, which is ready to ship a brand new rail hyperlink between Oxford and Cambridge, would have extreme penalties for the barbastelle bats within the space.
It mentioned the rail route, which is backed by chancellor Rachel Reeves, may have a “catastrophic” impression on the species inhabitants. Ms Reeves has been accused of waging a struggle on bats as she seeks reform to make it tougher for wildlife issues to intrude in infrastructure improvement.
Final yr, HS2 Ltd spent greater than £100m constructing a “shed” for bats to guard them from high-speed trains.
Mr Matthews mentioned: “I can even be writing to the prime minister concerning the absurdity of this example and the way we will get this sorted. I’m assured the federal government shall be prepared to assist, seeing because the Cupboard has additionally backed eradicating one of these pricey pink tape for builders.”
