A69 Haydon Bridge Bypass

In 2004 we were asked to co-ordinate ecological aspects of the ecological impact assessment for a bypass of the village of Haydon Bridge on the A69 and write the ecological sections of the Environmental Statement.

This involved the co-ordination of bird, bat, badger, otter, amphibian and reptile surveys and the undertaking of a Phase 1 Habitat Survey and assessment of existing biodiversity data records for the route corridor. Survey work was completed in 2004.

The survey identified potential adverse impacts on otter, farmland birds, red squirrel, bats, brown hare, salmon, bullhead and lamprey, with the main potential impacts coming from the crossing of the River South Tyne. Mitigation was devised to ameliorate these impacts, including building otter holts, barrier fencing, tree planting and constraints on construction timing and an Environmental Statement was published in 2005.

A public inquiry was held in 2006, at which Rigby Jerram acted as an expert witness and the bypass was constructed in 2007.