“A hollow promise” - that is what the government’s plans to expand the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty has been branded by a wildlife trust amid ongoing fears about the impact of HS2.

Natural England has announced that it will explore a ‘boundary extension’ to the Chilterns AONB in areas such as Slough, Hemel Hempstead and Luton.

They claim it will protect wildlife and give more people access to the countryside.

But the Chief Executive of the Berks, Bucks and Oxon Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), a voluntary nature conservation organisation, has branded the plans a “hollow promise” while HS2 continues to “rip through” the Chilterns.

BBOWT Chief Executive Estelle Bailey said: “At this very moment HS2 is ripping through protected areas of the Chilterns, destroying nature in its path.

“If we can’t protect the AONB we’ve got from development, what’s the point in labelling any more? This announcement feels like another hollow promise.

“We need real action and investment on the ground to properly manage and protect these precious landscapes to help restore nature, and we must hold projects like HS2 to account on their biodiversity net gain promises.

“Only then can we hope to achieve our vision of more nature everywhere and tackle the climate and nature crisis.”

The Country Land and Business Association (CLA), which represents farmers and rural businesses in the area, also raised doubts about the government’s plans.

Mark Tuffnell, deputy CLA president, said: “We are behind government’s aims and ambitions to protect and enhance the natural environment and the biodiversity that underpins it.

“But the lack of detail raises more questions than answers on how these ambitions will be achieved.

“Our main concern is how the government’s commitment to designate additional protected landscapes will be taken forward.

“This should not be to randomly satisfy a target, but done for the right reasons to protect our finest landscapes.

“Currently, designation stifles economic growth, hampering rural businesses from re-investing in their communities to offer affordable houses and create new jobs.

“Planning rules often lead to one sector, such as tourism, becoming dominant which makes local economies and communities far more vulnerable to shocks like Covid-19.

“The rural economy is 18 per cent less productive than the national average, and this will only increase if the designation system isn’t reformed to ensure a commitment to economic resilience and sustainable communities.”

HS2 last week launched its second of ten Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) that will dig 64 miles of tunnel on phase one of the high speed railway. Named Cecilia, the TBM will excavate the 10 mile long tunnels beneath the Chiltern hills 24/7 for the next three years. The first TBM was launched over a month ago.