Colne Valley Western Slopes: maximising habitat creation within a large infrastructure project

The Colne Valley Western Slopes (CVWS) is one of the largest and most significant environmental projects on the High Speed Two (HS2) Phase One route and represents a synthesis of innovative landscape and ecological design alongside 21st century engineering excellence.

The CVWS represents a unique opportunity for large scale environmental enhancement with a focus on nature recovery, addressing complex climate change issues, and securing a meaningful project legacy.

The paper expands upon three key tenets of the project: 1) Increasing biodiversity by creating a mosaic of high value habitats from arable land; 2) Building in resilience and adaptability to secure sustainable outcomes and minimising our carbon footprint; and 3) Creating distinctive and accessible green spaces which contribute to health and well-being.

The paper describes the innovative design and construction solutions that have been developed which can be adopted and replicated across other large scale infrastructure projects bringing cost savings, a reduction in carbon impacts, and a focus on nature recovery. This includes the sustainable reuse of construction materials to create soil profiles; maximising carbon sequestration through well-planned soil and habitat creation design; and adherence to rewilding principles to guide landscape establishment, natural regeneration, and sustainable long-term management.

The paper will also describe how a collaborative design approach underpinned by a design vision assurance process has helped to secure integrated, multi-functional and efficient solutions.