Greatworth to Lower Boddington HS2 London-West Midlands May 2013
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PHASE ONE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Community Forum Area Report 15 | Greatworth to Lower Boddington HS2 London-West Midlands May 2013 ENGINE FOR GROWTH DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Community Forum Area Report ENGINE FOR GROWTH 15 I Greatworth to Lower Boddington High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, 2nd Floor, Eland House, Bressenden Place, London SW1E 5DU Telephone 020 7944 4908 General email enquiries: [email protected] Website: www.hs2.org.uk © Crown copyright, 2013, except where otherwise stated Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with the Crown. You may re-use this information (not including logos or third-party material) free of charge in any format or medium, under the terms of the Open Government Licence. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or e-mail: [email protected]. Where we have identified any third-party copyright information you will need to obtain permission from the copyright holders concerned. To order further copies contact: DfT Publications Tel: 0300 123 1102 Web: www.dft.gov.uk/orderingpublications Product code: ES/26 Printed in Great Britain on paper containing at least 75% recycled fibre. CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents Contents Draft Volume 2: Community Forum Area Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 5 Part A: Introduction 6 1 Introduction 7 1.1 Introduction to HS2 7 1.2 Purpose of this report 7 1.3 Structure of this report 9 Part B: Greatworth to Lower Boddington – overview of the area and description of the Proposed Scheme 10 2 Greatworth to Lower Boddington 11 2.1 Overview of the area 11 2.2 Description of the Proposed Scheme 14 2.3 Construction of the Proposed Scheme 18 2.4 Operation of the Proposed Scheme 27 2.5 Community forum engagement 27 2.6 Route section main alternatives 28 2.7 Proposals for further consideration 32 Part C: Environmental topic assessments 33 3 Agriculture, forestry and soils 34 3.1 Introduction 34 3.2 Policy framework 34 3.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 34 3.4 Environmental baseline 34 3.5 Construction 36 3.6 Operation 39 1 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents 4 Air quality 41 4.1 Introduction 41 4.2 Policy framework 41 4.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 41 4.4 Environmental baseline 41 4.5 Construction 42 4.6 Operation 43 5 Community 44 5.1 Introduction 44 5.2 Policy framework 44 5.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 44 5.4 Environmental baseline 44 5.5 Construction 46 5.6 Operation 47 6 Cultural heritage 48 6.1 Introduction 48 6.2 Policy framework 48 6.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 48 6.4 Environmental baseline 48 6.5 Construction 50 6.6 Operation 52 7 Ecology 53 7.1 Introduction 53 7.2 Policy framework 53 7.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 53 7.4 Environmental baseline 53 7.5 Construction 56 7.6 Operation 59 8 Land quality 60 8.1 Introduction 60 8.2 Policy framework 60 8.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 60 8.4 Environmental baseline 60 8.5 Construction 63 8.6 Operation 64 2 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents 9 Landscape and visual assessment 66 9.1 Introduction 66 9.2 Policy framework 66 9.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 66 9.4 Environmental baseline 67 9.5 Construction 68 9.6 Operation 75 10 Socio-economics 83 10.1 Introduction 83 10.2 Policy framework 83 10.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 83 10.4 Environmental baseline 83 10.5 Construction 84 10.6 Operation 85 11 Sound, noise and vibration 86 11.1 Introduction 86 11.2 Policy framework 86 11.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 86 11.4 Environmental baseline 86 11.5 Construction 86 11.6 Operation 87 12 Traffic and transport 90 12.1 Introduction 90 12.2 Policy framework 90 12.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 90 12.4 Environmental baseline 91 12.5 Construction 92 12.6 Operation 95 13 Water resources and flood risk assessment 96 13.1 Introduction 96 13.2 Policy framework 96 13.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 96 13.4 Environmental baseline 96 13.5 Construction 98 13.6 Operation 102 14 References 104 2 3 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents List of figures Figure 1: HS2 Phase One route and community forum areas 8 Figure 2: Area context map 13 Figure 3: Indicative construction programme for the area 26 Figure 4: Business sector composition in South Northamptonshire and East Midlands 84 List of tables Table 1: Location of construction site compounds 20 Table 2: Location of temporary worker accommodation sites 20 Table 3: Demolition works 21 Table 4: Footpath, cycleway and bridleway diversions 23 Table 5: Holdings affected by the Proposed Scheme 35 Table 6: Preliminary evaluation of likely value of protected and/or notable species occurring within this area 55 Table 7: Significant residual construction effects on ecological receptors within area 58 Table 8: Significant residual operational effects on ecological receptors within this area 59 Table 9: Significant landscape effects during construction 69 Table 10: Significant visual effects during construction 70 Table 11: Significant landscape effects during operation year 1 (2026) 76 Table 12: Significant visual effects during operation year 1 (2026) 77 Table 13: Options for further noise mitigation 89 Table 14: Typical vehicle trip generation for site compounds in this area 93 4 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents Draft Volume 2: Community Forum Area Report Greatworth to Lower Boddington/ No 15 Structure of the HS2 draft Environmental Statement The draft ES documentation for the purpose of this consultation comprises: • A non-technical summary (NTS) – providing a summary of the Proposed Scheme, the likely significant effects of the Proposed Scheme, both beneficial and adverse, and the means to avoid or reduce the adverse effects; • A main report – consisting of two volumes: ȃ Volume 1: Introduction to the Environmental Statement and Proposed Scheme which provides an introduction to HS2, an overview of the hybrid bill process and the environmental impact assessment (EIA) methodology, an introduction to consultation and engagement, the main strategic and route-wide alternatives considered; and ȃ Volume 2: Includes 26 Community Forum Area (CFA) reports, each with a separate corresponding map book, which together provide the assessment of local environmental effects. An assessment of the effects of the Proposed Scheme on a route-wide basis is presented in Report 27. HS2 Ltd set up 26 community forums along the line of route of the Proposed Scheme, as a regular way of engaging with local communities1. Volume 2 of this draft ES supports this engagement strategy by providing a draft ES report for each CFA. This is a report for the Greatworth to Lower Boddington area, CFA15. The draft ES has been written using clear and accessible language. However, on occasion it has been necessary to use technical terms. Given this, a glossary of terms and list of abbreviations for all draft ES documentation is provided. 1 Details of these community forums are provided on the HS2 Ltd website at http://www.hs2.org.uk/have-your-say/forums/community-forums. Accessed 23 April 2013. 5 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Contents Part A: Introduction 6 CFA Report – Greatworth to Lower Boddington/No 15 I Introduction 1 Introduction 1.1 Introduction to HS2 1.1.1 HS2 is planned to be a Y-shaped rail network with stations in London, Birmingham, Leeds, Manchester, South Yorkshire and the East Midlands, linked by high speed trains running at speeds of up to 360 kilometres per hour (kph) (225 miles per hour (mph)). 1.1.2 HS2 is proposed to be built in two phases. Phase One (the Proposed Scheme), the subject of this draft ES, would involve the construction of a new railway line of approximately 230km (143 miles) between London and Birmingham that would become operational by 2026; with a connection to the West Coast Main Line (WCML) near Lichfield and to the existing HS1 line in London. The Phase One route and the 26 CFAs are shown in figure 1. 1.1.3 On opening, Phase One would run up to 14 trains per hour (tph). HS2 trains would be up to 400 metres (m) long with 1,100 seats during peak hours. Beyond the dedicated high speed track, these high speed trains would connect with and run on the existing WCML to serve passengers beyond the HS2 network. A connection to HS1 would also allow some services to run to mainland Europe via the Channel Tunnel. 1.1.4 Phase Two would involve the construction of lines from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester; with construction commencing around 2027, and planned to be operational by 2033. After Phase Two opens, it is expected that the frequency of train services on some parts of the Phase One route could increase up to 18tph. 1.1.5 The Government believes that the HS2 network should link to Heathrow and its preferred option is for this to be built as part of Phase Two. However, the Government has since taken the decision to pause work on the Heathrow link until after 2015 when it expects the Airports Commission to publish its final report on recommended options for maintaining the country’s status as an international aviation hub.