10-Feb-2022

Campaign Update

The Campaign to Save Leather Lane Oaks called a public meeting for residents on Monday 24th January, to share more about the campaign and to answer questions.  A big thank you to all who joined us in person and online.

Key arguments put forward by the campaign are:

  1. HS2 did not conduct adequate surveys and did not therefore identify Leather Lane as a crucial bat corridor to 7 species of bat including the endangered Barbastelle bat;  
    HS2 have already severed ecological connectivity throughout this area, and plan even more, increasing Leather Lane's importance.
  2. Now they have been made aware of this (due to the hard work of campaigners and their ecologists) they must adhere to their legal responsibilities and established principles to apply the Mitigation Hierarchy;
  3. The Mitigation Hierarchy requires HS2 to AVOID harm where possible – by adopting the campaign's design to build the bridge on the North side, further damage to the vital corridor can be avoided.

Presentations were made by Lindsey Spinks, a local campaigner from Lawyers for Nature, Jack Taylor, Campaigner for Woodland under threat at the Woodland Trust and ecologist Sam Watson who has been instructed as an expert in the campaign.

We have the full support and input from the top experts on bats and mitigation in the UK; Bill Sutherland, John Altringham, and Anna Berthinussen, who has prepared a report for Leather Lane.

Please refer to the minutes for more detail

Once the trees in Leather Lane are removed, it is unlikely we will see such majesty again.

Several hundred local residents have added their name to a letter addressed to HS2 and EKFB which was sent to HS2, EKFB and Cc’d to Parish and Bucks Councillors on 27th January.

 HOW YOU CAN HELP/GET INVOLVED:

  1. Donations ! - see Crowdfunder
  2. Sign our Petition
  3. Local People - please write to your MP (more information to come…)
  4. Join the team!  Help with admin, fundraising, PR, feet on the ground

We now urgently need people to support us with donations so we can fund the final leg of this campaign, in particular the cost of our Civil Engineers, which is crucial.  

We need at least another £20,000 to cover this final leg of the campaign, please support where you can by donating to the campaign Gofundme: