A proposed lorry route that could threaten wildlife will be moved.

The haulage road is to be used by company Brett Tarmac and will see 10-tonne lorries moving along every three minutes to transport gravel from Fairlop Quarry to a nearby building site.

Originally, the council promised to have the road rerouted at a Redbridge Council meeting on November 22, but campaigners’ fears were stoked following a meeting in January with Brett Tarmac where it seemed nothing had changed.

Cllr Jas Athwal, Redbridge Council leader, confirmed the road – originally due to pass through Fairlop Country Park, a habitat for newts, owls, bats and badgers – will be moved to “a less intrusive site”.

He said he had not been able to speak publicly about the issue while negotiations were ongoing, but could confirm the new plans openly now these were over.

The road is now due to pass through a privately managed grassland area away from the most sensitive animal habitats.

Cllr Jas Athwal said: “I have been engaged in rather difficult negotiations with different partners concerning the haul road scheme.

“Now those negotiations have concluded I am delighted that we have successfully managed to arrange for the haul road to be moved to a much less intrusive area.

“I heard residents’ concerns over the wildlife and delicate ecosystem of the original haul road site and that is why I’ve been working hard in the background with council officers to try and mitigate any potential damage.”