There will be eight times more nature loss across Warwickshire due to HS2, a new report claims.

The findings, published by The Wildlife Trusts, allege that HS2 Ltd has "hugely undervalued" natural habitats and wildlife while "simultaneously overvaluing" the impact of its nature compensation measures.

The 'HS2 double jeopardy: how the UK's largest infrastructure project undervalued nature and overvalued its compensation measures' report claims there will be at least 7.9 times more nature loss across phase one of the project - the 140 miles between London and the West Midlands.

Warwickshire Wildlife Trust says HS2 has used inaccurate data to assess nature loss on the route.

The report concludes that figures released by HS2 Ltd in 2017, 2019 and in 2021 are "wholly unreliable" and says the high speed rail developer has not fully assessed the estimated impacts on specific species including bats and birds.

The trust says it is extremely concerned that losses of important wildlife habitats, such as woodlands, grasslands and hedgerows, will go unchallenged due to the "undervaluing of nature" uncovered in the report.

The 250-year-old Cubbington Pear Tree was cut down in October 2020 to make way for HS2 (image via SWNS)

Ed Green, chief executive of Warwickshire Wildlife Trust says: "'This new evidence is damning and reveals a host of inaccuracies that are built into HS2 Ltd's current approach.

"Our report exposes the absurdity of allowing HS2 Ltd to self-regulate without proper transparency and independent oversight. The company needs to be held to account by the government for its failings.

'HS2 Ltd must correct its mapping and errors in its figures and make all its new data publicly available.

"This vast infrastructure project is taking a wrecking-ball to wildlife and communities are in despair at losing the wild places – the woods, meadows and wetlands that they love - they will never get these back. So HS2 Ltd must repair nature in a way that's commensurate with the magnitude of the damage being caused.

"The scale of errors means HS2 Ltd needs to provide far more nature compensation than it's currently offering because it has seriously underestimated the impacts to biodiversity.

"We want to see a minimum of 10 per cent biodiversity net gain along every phase of the route. This is surely the absolute bare minimum that HS2 Ltd should be offering after all the destruction and heartbreak it has caused."

The trust says its phase one calculations show there will be at least 17 per cent less nature present after construction than there was before building started.

HS2 Ltd's figures say there will only be a 2.6 per cent nature loss. 

Four recommendations have been put forward by the trust, including re-map existing habitats, recalculating the total impacts to nature, design changes and pausing construction while the findings are considered.

HS2 protesters put up signs in Euston Square Gardens (image via SWNS)

Responding to the report, a HS2 Ltd spokesperson told the PA news agency: "We don't recognise the figures from the report nor do we believe them to be reliable. The Wildlife Trusts have undertaken limited desk research and have not accessed huge areas of land for undertaking ecological survey, in contrast to the ecologists who have compiled HS2's data.

"Independent experts from Natural England have consulted on our methodology and it has been rigorously assessed by a team of professional ecologists, with the data shared with the independent Ecological Review Group.

"We're committed to reviewing our assessment methodology on an ongoing basis and intend to align more closely with the government's biodiversity metric once it is published in the coming months.

"As well as delivering the country's largest environmental programme, planting seven million trees and creating over 33 square kilometre of new habitats on phase one alone, we continue to minimise loss through design refinements, such as our recent 30 per cent reduction of the impact on ancient woodlands on phase one."

HS2 has recently submitted plans for its 425-metre viaduct in Balsall Common as well as proposals for huge cuttings in Crackley and Cubbington as well as the Burton Green tunnel.