Snails not blocking growth, says wildlife boss

Nature should not be seen as a "blocker" of economic growth, despite a group of endangered snails pausing progress on a major road scheme, a wildlife trust boss has said.

The presence of Little Whirlpool Ramshorn snails in ditches surrounding the A47 Acle Straight near Great Yarmouth, Norfolk, is contributing to delays in upgrading the single-carriageway road.

Eliot Lyne, chief executive of Norfolk Wildlife Trust, said: "I find it a bit of a stretch that we're saying one of the reasons why we don't have great economic growth is there's a snail that's holding up the A47 dualling."

National Highways said it took its responsibility to the environment "very seriously" and would continue to assess where improvements could be made.

The rare snails, which measure just 0.2 in (5mm) across, are known to exist in only three locations across the United Kingdom, and are legally protected.

Studies have been ongoing for almost a decade into whether the snails would survive being relocated.

In a speech on Wednesday, the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves, outlined how the government intended to achieve economic growth.

"So we are reducing the environmental requirements placed on developers when they pay into the nature restoration fund that we have created so they can focus on getting things built, and stop worrying about bats and newts," she said.

But Mr Lyne said nature was what made Norfolk a "special place".

He said: "Nature is not a blocker of economic growth; nature is an enhancer of economic growth... we should be thinking of nature as an investment, not a blocker."

Norfolk County Council recently withdrew its planning application for the Norwich Western Link, which would connect the Northern Distributor Road (NDR) to the A47, due to rules protecting Barbastelle bats that live on the proposed route.

Graham Plant, Conservative councillor and cabinet member for highways, infrastructure and transport, said the wait for Acle Straight improvements was "not good enough".

He said: "Humans are animals, too, and they don't deserve to die because of the state of the roads that were built 100 years ago.

"It seems they are putting unreasonable objects in the way of safety and people's lives... this is a main link through Norfolk from the coast to the Midlands and it's archaic and we need to make it safer and better. and the only way to do that is dual it."

A National Highways spokesperson said: "Preserving this endangered species, which is only found in three locations across the country, is just one among a number of factors surrounding any possible upgrade of the A47 Acle Straight.

"Our commitment to improving the A47 in terms of safety and reducing congestion can be seen with major construction currently under way on two large-scale projects to dual different sections of the road."

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