LUC has been appointed to provide ecological support for the construction phase of the Silvertown Tunnel Scheme. We are excited to join the project team as ecological advisors and the Ecological Clerk of Works between 2020 and 2025.

The completed tunnel will connect the A1020 Silvertown Way/Lower Lea Crossing on the north side and the A102 Blackwall Tunnel Approach on the south side. It will increase connectivity between north and south London. This will help accelerate growth in the area and improve journey times across a currently a heavily congested route.

We are now conducting pre-construction surveys to manage ecological constraints and inform the construction process. This will ensure the scheme is compliant with environmental policy and legislation.

Our work to date has informed the Ecological Management Plans for the scheme, which are dynamic documents and will ensure ecological measures and mitigation agreed within the Environmental Statement are achieved through the construction process.

Once boots hit the ground, LUC will provide on-site Ecological Clerk of Works support and toolbox talks to staff tailored to specific ecological issues, and conduct regular ecological monitoring surveys.

East London and the Docklands is a historic stronghold for black redstart birds. The combination of dockland, brownfield habitat, foreshore and complex building structures provide the optimal mix of suitable nesting and foraging opportunities for this specially protected (Schedule 1) species. One of LUC’s ongoing deliverables will be ensuring black restarts are not impacted by the scheme through regular monitoring and habitat assessment.

We are excited to be involved in this Nationally Significant Infrastructure Project (NSIP). We look forward to achieving the best project outcome for biodiversity.

Learn more about Ecology at LUC.