RAIL project bosses have been told they are batty for claiming they found none where they want to work at Uppermill Viaduct.
The line over the Saddleworth structure would be electrified as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade (TRU), Greenfield Station will be reconfigured and many roads in the area shut while work under bridges is carried out.
Network Rail claims to have found no bats in its surveys, but the Friends of Saddleworth group told a public inquiry into the project’s Transport and Works Act Order the whole of the landmark was not surveyed and a Natural England bat licence should be imposed.
They also believe work should be subject to independent assessment as they claimed they were out of order when clearing nearby land at Den Lane.
Friends of Saddleworth’s case states: “They don’t want to operate under a Natural England bat licence because they will make sure they do not behave like they have previously.
“Not having a Natural England bat licence allows them to do what they want.
“Bats are a protected species because they are at risk of becoming extinct and we are currently in the middle of an eco-crisis with 50 per cent of wildlife disappeared in the last few decades.
“So given the evidence submitted regarding works carried out on a structure known to support bats, together with concerns relating to the destruction of a known bat foraging area, all future works on the viaduct and surrounding area should be undertaken under an appropriate Natural England bat licence.
“Given previous actions, Network Rail should not be permitted to undertake works on a structure known to contain bats without independent ecological supervision.”
Regarding the survey on the viaduct, the group – whose evidence was presented by Cllr Sam Al-Hamdani – added: “We are also extremely concerned that Network Rail claims to have monitored bats over a period of 10 days yet has not undertaken a thorough survey of the entire viaduct structure.
“Surely it does not take 10 days to survey a viaduct?
“It is difficult to understand how robust conclusions can be drawn regarding bat presence and roost locations without a full survey of the whole building which Network Rail seem to be trying extremely hard NOT to survey.
“According to Network Rail, miraculously no bats seem to be where Network Rail need to work, which seems extremely convenient and unconvincing.
“We therefore request that the entire viaduct is independently surveyed so that the presence and location of all bats and any roosting sites are properly identified before any further works are permitted. That way all bats in the building can be protected properly.”
In a rebuttal statement, Network Rail insisted it surveyed within a ‘zone of influence (ZOI)’ – a 10-metre radius from any direct impact of its work.
It also said it would work to a bat precautionary method of working (PMW).
It said: “A bat mitigation licence is not required because bats are considered likely absent from roosting within the order application ZoI.
“The bat surveys were designed to incorporate a Zone of Influence. For Uppermill Viaduct, the ZoI was approximately a 10-metre buffer from any direct impacts, such as drilling locations for overhead line scaffolds.
“No direct impacts to bats or their roosts are anticipated. Each drilling location can be micro-sited to avoid bat potential roost features. Any safety fencing during the works or masts will be positioned in a way to allow free flight access for any bats, if present.
“Dusk emergence surveys were undertaken to identify presence/likely absence of bat roosts. In the case of Uppermill Viaduct, no roosts were identified within the Order application ZoI.
“Network Rail has been transparent on the approach to surveying for bats and has provided Friends of Saddleworth with a bat survey results tracker from all dusk emergence surveys.
“We have offered the raw video footage recorded during the dusk emergences. This evidence can be made available again upon request.”
That, however, does not seem to be enough for Friends of Saddleworth, which is still angry at how the land at Den Lane was cleared.
It added: “Network Rail should work to a standard that shows best industry practice and as thorough as possible so all bats in the local area are looked after carefully and are not pushed to the brink.
“In addition, all ecological surveys, monitoring and mitigation measures should be independently overseen by a suitably qualified external independent ecological body.
“Network Rail should be required to restore Den Lane to at least its pre-works ecological condition and deliver a measurable biodiversity net gain above the baseline that existed before the Den Lane works commenced as part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade.
“Network Rail want to work here in Saddleworth independently outside objective scrutiny.”
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