- Costain-built bat barn is one of many environmental benefits from nine-mile upgrade of Cornish dual carriageway.
Costain, the infrastructure solutions company, has helped bats make themselves at home in a specially constructed bat barn adjacent to the recent upgrade of the A30 dual carriageway between Chiverton and Carland Cross.
The bat barn is part of the positive environmental legacy created by the National Highways scheme, where Costain delivered a nine-mile stretch of dual carriageway to reduce congestion and journey times for motorists. The scheme opened for traffic in June.
Following extensive survey work and planning with Cornwall Environmental Consultants Ltd, Costain constructed the insulated house in 2022, incorporating specially designed crevices and open flying spaces to accommodate the needs of varying bat species.
Two years on and the teams have discovered lesser horseshoe bats roosting in the barn – constructed of locally sourced Cornish stone and slate – along with recorded activity of brown long-eared and common pipistrelle and myotis bat species.
Earlier survey work ahead of construction of the new road identified potential disruption to bat commuting routes and habitats across and alongside the A30, and along with a number of bat and bird boxes installed along the nine-mile stretch, the new building is providing a valuable roosting site to protect and preserve the various bat species.
The new route has been carefully planned and designed to protect the ecology of the area and as part of that work, a total of 33 multi-species crossing points have been constructed to assist the habitats and journeys of animals such as bats, otters, badgers and reptiles.
Tara McCracken, safety, health and environment manager at Costain, said: “A lot of care was taken before and during construction as part of a collaborative effort across the A30 scheme.
“We have a responsibility to ensure that we are leaving a positive legacy and delivering ecological and environmental benefits above and beyond what is required to complete a project.
“The bat roosting discovery is particularly promising, and the aim for us now is to protect and preserve the bat populations native to the local area. Monitoring will continue via detectors around the bat house and future crossing point surveys.”
Jordan Fortune, project manager for the A30 Chiverton to Carland Cross scheme at National Highways, said: “We’re proud of the work we’ve undertaken to protect and enhance the ecology and environment in the area, including the bat mitigation, wildlife-proof fencing, Cornish hedging and heathland relocating, and we’re currently forecasting a net gain of over 20% in biodiversity.
“The scheme has been carried out in the most sympathetic way for wildlife and the environment, National Highways has also funded a number of environmental projects around the location of the scheme and this is something we’re also proud to be involved with and which will leave a real legacy for Cornwall.”
The scheme has had a broad socio-economic and environmental impact, improving the lives of those in the local community. It has benefitted local wildlife, with 33 multi-species crossing points added along the route, 150,000 trees planted, and the creation of an additional 4.5 hectares of new woodland. Costain also coordinated a fundraising effort for Cornwall Air Ambulance, supported the provision of STEM activities to local students and appointed local apprentices to the scheme.
Since the new dual carriageway opened in June, the scheme is continuing with ancillary and finishing-up works throughout the year, including local authority road refinements, landscaping, planting, Cornish hedging and other environmental and ecological work.
Left, brown long-eared bat species; Right, common pipistrelle. Credit: Cornwall Environmental Consultants
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