Canley Brook Area
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Canley Brook Area Design summary www.hs2.org.uk Introduction HS2 High Speed Two (HS2) is the new high speed railway for Britain. In 2017, Parliament approved plans for the part of the railway that will run between the West Midlands and London. The design of HS2 is an ongoing process. A preliminary design was approved by Parliament, which our main works contractors are refining, within certain agreed limits. This work includes taking any opportunities to deliver HS2 as effectively as possible while minimising our impact on communities and the environment. As we undertake the next stage of design work on the railway, we would like to make the community aware of any work that affects them. This includes the design of HS2 in the Canley Brook area (Kenilworth Cutting, the A429, Canley Brook Viaduct and Crackley Road Cutting). This design summary explains how the scheme design has been changed in this area. For the latest information about this work please visit www.hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk Balfour Beatty Vinci Joint Venture Balfour Beatty Vinci (BBV) are the main works contractor for this area of the route. Their job is to prepare the final design of the HS2 route and build the railway in preparation for the track and signalling installation. Your Community Engagement Manager from BBV is Gurcharan Singh. * Note on images within this document Please note, all images are an artist’s impression based on the latest HS2 route design. Every effort has been made to ensure that images are as accurate as possible. This includes the location, size, materials and finishes of structures, and the species mix and placement of planting. However, the design process is ongoing, and therefore some details may be subject to change. Unless otherwise stated: vegetation is shown at a maturity of 15 years post construction; and rail systems (track and catenaries) are shown as a guide only and do not necessarily reflect their final design or placement. Maps and plans contain OS data © Crown Copyright and database right 2018, High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd., Ordnance Survey; Aerial photography © Mott MacDonald. 2 Summary The design for the Canley Brook area of the HS2 route, running between Finham Brook and the Crackley Wood Embankment has been updated: • the height of the route has been raised by up to 3 metres through the Kenilworth and the Crackley Road Cuttings and over the Canley Brook Viaduct; • the diversion of Canley Brook has been significantly reduced from 700 metres to 80 metres. It will now run close to its existing position when HS2 crosses it on the Canley Brook Viaduct, so there will be a reduction in the volume of earthworks required to construct the new section of watercourse; • two kilometres of concrete retaining walls south of Canley Brook are no longer needed; • the Crackley Road Cutting will be extended by approximately 300 metres, and will now include what was previously the North Crackley Cutting; • the height of the A429 Kenilworth Road Overbridge has been raised by approximately 1.1 metres; • the height of the Milburn Grange Farm Accommodation Overbridge has been raised by approximately 1.5 metres; • the Crackley Lane Auto-Transformer Station (ATS) has been moved to the west side of the HS2 line and approximately 100 metres further north; • the pumping station has been moved south of the A429 Overbridge and west of the HS2 line; and • landscape bunds (raised earthwork structures) and noise barriers will be incorporated along the route for increased visual screening and to mitigate the noise impacts of a raised alignment. The benefits of these changes: Environmental impacts will be significantly reduced, including: • a smaller volume of excavation (600,000 cubic metres less) means more vegetation can be preserved, and less concreting (28,000 cubic metres less) also reduces environmental impact; • less noise and disruption through reduced construction traffic; • large specialist diaphragm wall machinery is no longer required on site due to the removal of the retaining walls; • reduced impact on Canley Brook and its wildlife due to the shortened diversion; • the potential for additional wildlife habitat creation near Canley Brook and alongside Kenilworth Cutting and Crackley Road Cutting; • reduction of a ‘barrier effect’ on local wildlife, increasing the ability for species such as great crested newts and reptiles to travel across the route; and 3 • reduced overall land-take, potentially allowing more land to be returned to agriculture following construction. Background This leaflet relates to the Canley Brook area of the HS2 route which runs between Finham Brook and the Crackley Wood Embankment. This section lies immediately to the west of the A46 junction with Stoneleigh Road. The section passes to the north-east of Kenilworth as the route travels north-west towards Birmingham. The existing transport infrastructure within this section includes the A429 and the Coventry to Leamington Spa railway line. A number of watercourses, including Canley Brook and Finham Brook, cross the area. This section is a predominantly agricultural area, surrounded by residential and woodland areas. The route passes near to Kenilworth Golf Club and the University of Warwick. Overview map of Canley Brook area and wider locality: The HS2 route is now in the Detailed Design Stage. This means that the line of route and overall design has already been agreed, and work is now beginning to refine and finalise the specifics of the design (such as landscaping and construction materials) ready for construction to begin. 4 Our changes to the vertical alignment Vertical alignment is a technical term. It means the height and level of the route. The vertical alignment of the route has been raised between Finham Brook and the Crackley Wood Embankment by up to 3 metres. This change affects the route through the Kenilworth Cutting, what was the Canley Brook Retaining Wall, Canley Brook Viaduct, Crackley Road Cutting and what was the North Crackley Cutting. Overview plan – previous design: 5 Overview plan – updated design: 6 The retaining wall area will now form part of the Kenilworth Cutting. Due to the relocation of the Canley Brook Viaduct, the Crackley Road and North Crackley Cuttings will now form a single stretch of cutting. This new feature will be known as the Crackley Road Cutting. The raised vertical alignment will reduce the volume of excavation from the Crackley Road Cutting, since it will be shallower. The removal of the two-kilometre Canley Brook Retaining Wall will reduce the volume of concrete required. Long cross section from Finham Brook to Crackley Wood Embankment (with the vertical scale exaggerated for clarity). The line remains within “cuttings” for a similar proportion of its path: 7 View of the Kenilworth Cutting under the A429 Overbridge: Previous design: retaining walls through length of the Proposed updated design: raised alignment and retaining cutting walls removed. A noise barrier is shown on the right-hand side of the line extending from Canley Brook Viaduct to the A429 Overbridge* Why is the vertical alignment being changed? • to significantly reduce the diversion of Canley Brook. Only 80 metres of diversion will now be required, so the brook will be able to cross the HS2 route much closer to its natural location. The previous design required it to be diverted for 700 metres; and • to reduce the depth of earthworks required and remove the need for the Canley Brook Retaining Wall. Proposed view towards A429 Overbridge showing the updated design for Canley Brook Viaduct, enabling the proposed diversion to be substantially reduced. A noise barrier can be seen on the right-hand side of the line up to the A429 Overbridge*: 8 Proposed view southwards along Kenilworth Cutting from Milburn Grange Farm Accommodation Overbridge towards Finham Brook*: What this change means for the community and the environment • the environmental impacts will be reduced, with an estimated 600,000 cubic metres less material excavated (equivalent to 250 Olympic swimming pools), and an estimated 28,000 cubic metres less concrete used as a result of removing the retaining wall (2,500 concrete mixer trucks’ worth); • the reduction in excavation and concreting work will lessen construction noise and disruption for local people, and decrease the amount of construction traffic on local roads; • the removal of the retaining walls means that diaphragm wall machines will not be required on site. Constructing diaphragm walls is a specialist process which requires very large machinery; • protected and notable species, such as otters and a range of bat species, have been recorded along Canley Brook. The reduced watercourse realignment minimises the diversion of a key commuting feature for these species; • we plan to create a high-quality wetland habitat either side of the realigned section of Canley Brook, as well as additional woodland, hedgerow and species-rich grassland habitat on both sides of Crackley Road Cutting (where earthworks associated with the watercourse diversion were previously proposed). This will benefit a range of protected and notable species and contribute to HS2’s objective of achieving ‘no net loss’ of biodiversity. The replacement of retaining walls with cutting slopes at Kenilworth Cutting provides some additional opportunities for habitat creation. Opportunities for creating species-rich grassland on the cutting slopes will also be explored; 9 • replacement of retaining walls with cutting slopes will reduce the ‘barrier effect’ of the scheme and increase its permeability for species such as great crested newts and reptiles (which will be able to pass beneath tracks); and • reduced overall land-take due the raised vertical alignment means more land can potentially be returned to agricultural use after construction. As a result of the vertical alignment alteration, other changes to the route design are required These changes are: • the Crackley Lane Auto-Transformer Station (ATS) will be moved to the west side of the HS2 line and approximately 100 metres further north, away from the A429; • the pumping station will be relocated to the south of the A429 Overbridge and west of the railway.