Balfour Beatty is spending £20,000 on a nature restoration scheme at National Highways’ M25 Junction 10 scheme in Surrey.
The construction giant’s landscape team, National Highways, and the Salix nursery near Thetford, Norfolk, have joined forces to restore wildflowers and reeds at Bolder Mere Lake near Ockham.
As part of the replanting scheme, seeds have been taken from around Bolder Mere Lake to grow at the nursery in Thetford. They will then be transported back to the site near Junction 10 to replant, helping to restore a space for nature.
A combination of hay-cutting and conservation grazing will kickstart the restoration process. The seed is harvested from wildflower-rich donor sites locally using brush harvesters.
A small area of scrub will also be created, allowing a range of native species to return to the area.
Kate Mann, Balfour Beatty’s environmental sustainability advisor on the scheme, said: ‘This partnership is a powerful reminder of how we can work collaboratively together and for our stakeholders and partners to deliver biodiversity projects that support and enhance the environment.
‘Home to butterflies, adders, skylarks and Greater Horseshoe bats, these new habitats will help reverse the decline in these species and keep these wonderful grasslands full of life for generations to come.’
Jonathan Wade, National Highways senior project manager on the Junction 10 scheme, said: ‘The partnership with Balfour Beatty and the Salix nursery exemplifies how collaborative efforts can lead to significant environmental improvements.
‘By focusing on initiatives like the replanting scheme at Bolder Mere Lake, we are not only restoring natural habitats but also ensuring that these ecosystems thrive for future generations.’
Technical advisors from Arcadis have co-designed the biodiversity solution with both Balfour Beatty and experts from the nursery at Salix assisting National Highways with its biodiversity goals.
