Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps for the protection of nesting birds, as set out in the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, are being taken during Network Rail’s clearance of trackside vegetation.

Network Rail is the fourth largest land owner in the United Kingdom, and in the past four years has made significant progress in the way it manages vegetation growing alongside train tracks.

Following discussions with Mark Carne, Chief Executive of Network Rail, about their approach to vegetation management, and the Tree Council and Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, the Government has commissioned a review into Network Rail’s vegetation management. While it is clear that Network Rail wants to get this right, and there is a ‘gold standard’ of vegetation management on some lines, it is concerning that tree management is carried out during the nesting season, when it can have the greatest effect on wildlife.

The review will report to the Rail Minister in summer this year. In the meantime, Network Rail have been asked to suspend all felling during the current nesting reason, except where it is safety critical.