Archived press release

English Nature confirms snail reserve on bypass route

30 May 1996

English Nature, the Government's wildlife watchdog, has confirmed that part of the Newbury Bypass route should be designated as a strict nature reserve under the European Union's Habitats Directive' to protect colonies of the rare Desmoulin's Whorl Snail (Vertigo moulinsiana) [1]. UK laws implementing the Directive require the UK Government to assess the impacts of the road on the snails and could lead to permission for the existing route being withdrawn [2]. If consent for the present route is revoked, the bypass could be cancelled.

The proposed European reserve, a Special Area for Conservation (SAC),includes eight separate colonies of the snail spread over the floodplains of the Rivers Kennet and Lambourn; two of these would be affected by the bypass route. One colony at Rack Marsh, described by a leading expert [3]as holding "a notable abundance of the species", will be destroyed. The other colony affected, on the River Kennet floodplain, supports "one of the densest populations seen" by the same expert in 20 years of study. This second site will be damaged by alterations to local hydrology and by pollutants contained in vehicle spray and water draining from the road surface.

The Government will soon receive an official recommendation that the snail habitat at Newbury should be protected under European law. The Department of Transport will then need to decide whether to delay letting the main contract to build the road over the snail's habitat until a review is completed or to go ahead and face Court action from Friends of the Earth and other conservation organisations.

Tony Juniper, Deputy Campaigns Director at Friends of the Earth, said:

"If the Government had carried out a proper environmental impact assessment in the first place it wouldn't be in this ridiculous position now. The information now available on the snails should have been collected earlier and heard at the 1988 Public Inquiry that approved the bypass. If the Inquiry had this information then, it would have led to a quite different decision about where to put the road. The Government should now put the main contract on hold until this is sorted out. If they go ahead, they will get a rough ride in the Courts".

NOTES TO EDITORS:

[1] Council Directive 92/43/EEC on the conservation of natural habitats and of wild fauna and flora requires member states to establish strict nature reserves (Special Areas of Conservation, SACs) to protect a range of rare or declining habiats and species that occur in the European Union. The Directive lays down criteria for the selection of SACs. These criteria are met for the colonies of Desmoulin's Whorl Snails at Newbury.

[2] Regulation 50 of the Natural Habitats, &c. Regulations (1994) says that any authority that has granted any permission that will damage a Special Area of Conservation that the authority "shall [our emphasis] as soon as reasonably practicable, review their decision, or, as the case may be, the consent, permission or other authorisation, and shall affirm, modify or revoke it".

[3] Dr Martin J. Willing is an Environmental and Ecological Consultant with a special interest in moluscs. He surveyed the route of the Newbury Bypassfor Friends of the Earth in March 1996 to establish the status of the snail.His report, Field survey of selected sites on the route of the proposed Newbury bypass, was sent to English Nature to assist with the selection of those colonies of snails to be included in the SAC. Copies of Dr Willing's report are available on request.

ENDS

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