Belford to Golden Highway Biodiversity Assessment

Environmental Property Services (EPS) was engaged by Arup to prepare a Biodiversity Assessment Report (BAR) for the Roads and Maritime Services (Roads and Maritime) proposed upgrade of the New England Highway between Belford and the Golden Highway.

The road upgrade will improve traffic flow, travel times and safety for motorists along a busy section of the New England Highway. The project involves providing a divided road with two travel lanes in each direction between Belford and the Golden Highway and a flyover for vehicles turning right from the Golden Highway towards Maitland and Newcastle.

The full complement of seasonal biodiversity surveys was undertaken by EPS, with a focus on threatened ecological community assessments, BioBanking analysis and other strategically targeted flora and fauna surveys to inform a best-practice management and assessment approach for the highway upgrade works.

The proposed highway upgrade is expected to affect a combination of native and exotic vegetation, as well as cleared land.

Three threatened ecological communities and six fauna species listed as threatened in NSW were recorded by EPS ecologists on-site. The threatened Speckled Warbler and the Grey-crowned Babbler were among the recorded species, with Squirrel Glider and threatened microbats also recorded.

Key mitigation measures to minimise the impact to biodiversity are to include minimising native vegetation removal in the detailed design phase, the preparation of a Biodiversity Offset Strategy for unavoidable impacts, compensatory nest box installation, installation of a canopy bridge to improve wildlife connectivity for particularly the Squirrel Glider and aquatic habitat protection measures being implemented. A range of other standard Roads and Maritime measures will also be adopted to ensure biodiversity is appropriately considered for the project.

EPS delivered a robust and comprehensive evaluation of biodiversity issues present on site and assisted Arup and Roads and Maritime to ensure that biodiversity is considered sympathetically while also allowing the project to progress toward approval.

To see how EPS can provide an effective and efficient solution for your next project, contact EPS Director of Ecology, Toby Lambert.