Construction work on HS2 Phase One commenced in 2018 and completion is scheduled for 2026. HS2 crosses the BOS area from Brackley to Southam via Chipping Warden.
The line clips the BOS Glyn Davies reserve and affects other notable bird watching sites. The biggest impact will occur during the construction phase, with many minor roads being closed whilst new bridges are installed. There will be a significant amount of heavy vehicular traffic, excavation work and noise, all contributing to disturbance to local wildlife and our ability to monitor it. The route directly crosses 29 1km squares, 2.5% of the BOS.
The map below shows the course of HS2 across the BOS, based on the 2012 route. Some small amendments have been made since then, but this information has not been published in a format for displaying here. The latest maps can be found (as of November 2017) here: HS2 Phase One plan and profile maps: London to the West Midlands. The government plans show where bridges, tunnels and cuttings will be made along with the full extent of the re-landscaping earthworks, which is not apparent on the maps supplied here. In some places the overall extent is very significant due to the need to minimise gradients on the line.
The Glyn Davies reserve will be particularly affected because Wormleighton is scheduled as one of the two places where maintenance loops will be constructed. These are additional lines that can be used to hold maintenance trains or defective trains, thus increasing the width of land required. See this image for details of the proposed HS2 cutting around Glyn Davies Wood: HS2 and Glyn Davies (2016). Glyn Davies is marked on the map as "Fox Covert". HS2 will construct a new access for us to replace the existing access point.
A more detailed set of maps, showing the route overlayed on OS 1:50K maps, are also listed below.
HS2 Phase One Route across the BOS
Detailed route of HS2 overlayed on OS 1:50K maps. Note that these images are large and will open in another window. The blue stars and 3 letter codes on the maps show the location of the BOS sites as described in the "BOS Guide for Observers" (see Monthly Bird Recording).
- Ladbroke, Wormleighton, Lower Boddington
- Chipping Warden and Thorpe Mandeville
- Thorpe Mandeville to Brackley
All maps are based on OS data © Crown copyright and database 2017.