Ltp Steering Group

Agenda Item No. HERTFORDSHIRE COUNTY COUNCIL ENVIRONMENT AND PLANNING CABINET PANEL 5 TUESDAY 13 JULY 2010 at 2.00 pm

HIGH SPEED 2 RAIL LINE

Report of the Director of Environment and Commercial Services

Author: Trevor Mason Tel: 01992 556117

Executive Members: Derrick Ashley, Environment, Planning and Waste Stuart Pile, Highways and Transport

1. Purpose of Report

1.1 To inform the Panel of the Department for Transport (DfT) proposals to develop a new high speed rail line, including the possible implications for Hertfordshire.

2. Summary

2.1 The Department for Transport, under the previous Government, has published a report on the High Speed 2 rail proposals. The preferred route as then envisaged would directly affect the south-west of Hertfordshire.

2.2 The concept of High Speed 2 is supported by the new Government, but it may wish to see changes to the route to allow for connections to Heathrow.

2.3 There are no route proposals out to consultation at present, and the timetable for consultation is not yet known.

2.4 Whilst the preferred route would have some limited environmental impacts for Hertfordshire, High Speed 2 would have significant transport benefits for the county.

3. Recommendations

3.1 This report is for information only.

0684a9f9e66962d3844f0f858c60f6a1.doc 1 4. Background

4.1 Proposals on developing a new high speed rail line between London and the West Midlands were submitted by High Speed Two Limited to the Secretary of State in December 2009. These set out the business case and a set of alternative routes.

4.2 In March 2010 the Department for Transport published its strategy for High Speed Rail, confirming that it wished to continue developing the project. The DfT’s strategy sets out a preferred route option. At the same time the High Speed Two Limited report was also made public.

4.3 The published proposals were for information only, with a stated aim of going out to public consultation in Autumn 2010.

4.4 At the same time the DfT also published a consultation on an Exceptional Hardship Scheme that would provide non-statutory protection to property owners in advance of statutory blight provisions being triggered. The deadline for comments was 20 May, and a response from the County Council was submitted.

5. High Speed 2 – The Route

5.1 The preferred route passes through part of the county to the south of Rickmansworth (see Figure 1). The direct impact on Hertfordshire is restricted to a short route length in an area with no residential properties.

5.2 The DfT in March 2010 stated that it is this route that will be subject to public consultation in Autumn 2010.

5.3 However, it should be noted that the report by High Speed Two Limited to DfT also sets out a “preferred alternative” and an “alternative line of route”. The preferred alternative is to the west of the preferred route and therefore does not pass through the county. However, the alternative line of route broadly follows the existing West Coast Main Line and therefore would directly affect a large part of the west of the county.

0684a9f9e66962d3844f0f858c60f6a1.doc 2 Figure 1 High Speed 2 route in Hertfordshire

6. Timescale for Scheme Development

6.1 The report published in March envisaged that construction of the scheme would follow on from Crossrail. It would thus begin in 2017, with an expected completion date of 2026.

7. Position of the New Government

7.1 The new Government has announced that it will support the High Speed 2 scheme. The document “The Coalition: our programme for government” states that the Government “will establish a high speed rail network as part of our programme of measures to fulfil our joint ambition for creating a low carbon economy”.

7.2 In a House of Commons debate on 9 June 2010, the Minister of State for Transport indicated that a hybrid Bill to construct the route would be presented during the current Parliament, and that enabling work would start by 2015. No timetable has been given for public consultation, other than it would happen as soon as possible.

0684a9f9e66962d3844f0f858c60f6a1.doc 3 7.3 The Government also wishes to connect the new line with Heathrow. At present it is not known whether this would be in the form of a new route alignment or a spur from the current preferred route.

8. Benefits for Hertfordshire

8.1 The main benefit for Hertfordshire is that capacity would be released on the West Coast Main Line which potentially could be used for local and InterCity trains serving Hertfordshire. DfT have indicated that Pendolino trains would continue to run on the existing route, but with changed stopping patterns. There would be the opportunity to increase InterCity services from Watford Junction, potentially restoring the cuts made in recent years.

9. Disbenefits for Hertfordshire

9.1 The key disbenefit for Hertfordshire is the direct environmental impact in terms of land take, noise, severance and visual intrusion. Due to the location of the current preferred route these would be relatively minor, but if a revised route were to be proposed there could be substantial impacts for the county.

10. Other Issues

10.1 Local authorities and other organisations within the Chilterns have been lobbying against the preferred route, and have encouraged authorities such as Hertfordshire to do likewise. It should be noted that the situation in the Chilterns is different in that the preferred route would have significant environmental impacts but little tangible transport benefits, whereas in Hertfordshire the impacts are limited and there are significant transport benefits.

10.2 The London terminal is proposed to be Euston. Whilst the scheme would include the rebuilding of the station to increase capacity, it is possible that some local services from Hertfordshire would need to be diverted to other terminals/routes. This may be of disbenefit to some rail users, but it may also open up new opportunities for interchange with the wider rail network across London.

11. Next Steps

11.1 Further information will be provided when the Government announces its detailed intentions for the scheme. Until such time it is impossible to fully assess the impacts on Hertfordshire.

0684a9f9e66962d3844f0f858c60f6a1.doc 4 12. Financial Implications

12.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report.

Background Papers

High Speed Rail – Department for Transport (March 2010)

High Speed Rail : London to the West Midlands and Beyond – High Speed Two Limited (December 2009)

High Speed Two – Exceptional Hardship Scheme Consultation – Department for Transport (March 2010)

All three documents are available on the Department for Transport website at www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/rail/pi/highspeedrail/

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