24/7 Freephone Community Helpline 08081 434 434 HS2 Update |||||Autumn/Winter 2020

High Speed Two (HS2) is the new high speed railway for Britain. This update provides information about upcoming work on HS2 in your area.

Work over the What to expect during coming months main construction work

Work on HS2 in your area is In April, the Department for Transport progressing well, including our gave approval for HS2 to issue Notice enabling works and preparing to Proceed to our main works for main construction work. contractors working on Phase One of Over the coming months we the project. will be continuing with early The issuing of Notice to Proceed works, including preparing for marked the point at which BBV started construction of the Burton full detailed design and construction Green Tunnel; finishing the work. This includes ground temporary Kenilworth investigation surveys, establishing a Greenway; undertaking site compound off Park Lane near Balsall preparation and ecological Common and a further compound work, alongside progressing adjacent to the A46 in Stoneleigh, and Our commitments the design of some key design work on key structures such as to you: structures in your area. bridges and viaducts. Keep all sites safe and Across this part of the Phase Please be assured that as we enter this secure. One route, enabling works are period of main construction work, we delivered by LM – a joint remain committed to being a good Keep disruption to a venture between Laing O’Rourke neighbour to any communities affected minimum. and J. Murphy & Sons. by our work. Inform you of any work The main construction work You can sign up to receive updates for that may impact you. will be carried out by BBV – a your local area at hs2insolihull.co.uk joint venture between Balfour and hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk. Answer your questions via Beatty and VINCI. the 24/7 HS2 Helpdesk. HS2 work during the next few months This information describes construction activity that we are carrying out near you during autumn and winter 2020.

Work around the Kenilworth Greenway, Burton Green to Berkswell

We are working around Burton Green, preparing to Interim arrangements construct a tunnel through the area. The ‘cut and We have closed a section of the existing Greenway to cover’ tunnel will be designed to reduce noise prepare it for future construction works. In parallel, around the tunnel portals and broadly follows the we are working on the temporary Greenway and it is alignment of the Kenilworth Greenway. The existing due to open in winter 2020-21. Greenway, between Berkswell and Burton Green, In the meantime, while the temporary Greenway is will be part of the construction area for HS2's main being finished, anyone wanting to walk between works. Once the railway is finished, the Greenway Berkswell and Burton Green is advised to use a is due to reopen. mixture of existing public rights of way, and a series of interim alternative paths set up by LM to help keep To provide an alternative route while the people moving through the area. Kenilworth Greenway is unavailable, LM is creating a temporary diversion of the Greenway between Local traffic management Berkswell and Burton Green. To safely build the temporary Greenway, we’ve needed to implement road closures on Hob, Cromwell The temporary Greenway will be suitable for all and Red Lanes in Burton Green, which were users, with facilities for horse riders and new traffic introduced in late August. Closures were required while we worked in the middle of these roads. signals at road crossing points. Post-and-wire fencing will line the majority of the path, and it will We received community feedback about the road have a stone surface. closures, requesting changes where possible to try and lift the closures sooner than planned. We’ve For users travelling from Kenilworth, the existing worked with council and community representatives Greenway will remain in place until the diversion to respond to feedback and revise the traffic starts behind the site of the new Burton Green management. We have been able to change our village hall off Red Lane. A new crossing will be built programme by moving to seven-day working. More on Red Lane to take the footpath alongside Burrow information about the changes is available at Hill Park onto Hob Lane. hs2insolihull.co.uk and hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk.

Users will then travel over Hob Lane on a new Main works in Burton Green The completion of the temporary Greenway will allow crossing, and follow the path along existing field BBV to start its major construction work in the area boundaries up to another new crossing over Waste early in the new year. Work will take place on both the Lane. Finally, the route will head towards Berkswell. north and south sides of Burton Green village. Initially, In future, when BBV builds the final footpath route, BBV will concentrate on setting up smaller satellite it will connect the Greenway to the Berkswell compounds. Once these are in place, we will get our Station area. major civil engineering works underway.

Over the past three years, we have worked with BBV will update the local community on its local authorities and community and equestrian construction programme during late autumn and representatives to make sure the temporary early winter 2020. Greenway is a safe community asset that residents, visitors, pedestrians, cyclists and horse riders can use throughout HS2 construction work. We’ve collaborated with local representatives to gather feedback on the crossings, and incorporated a number of requests into the design.

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Work around the Kenilworth Greenway, Burton Green to Berkswell

Map of temporary Greenway route - open in winter 2020-21

Map of Kenilworth Greenway closure - to be referred to until temporary route is open

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Crackley update

LM and BBV are now both at work in the Crackley and Kenilworth area. LM is continuing its work to build the ‘haul road’ (a temporary road for construction traffic only) next to the route of the railway.

LM is also making changes to the A429 Road/ Kenilworth Road to prepare for future construction work. Under temporary traffic management, we are widening a part of the road and creating a new turning Work on A452 Kenilworth Road point for HS2 main works-related traffic. LM is preparing to build a new BBV is ensuring that the final design of the railway at roundabout at the junction of the A452 this location best suits the surrounding environment. and Park Lane in Balsall Common. At the ‘Crackley Gap’, BBV is adjusting the alignment of the HS2 route to minimise the necessary diversion of Over winter, we’ll continue with traffic Canley Brook. The result of this work will be a reduced management for work on utilities and impact on the local environment. roads. In 2021, the roundabout will be built in stages, due to finish by the middle BBV will be sharing further updates about its design of the year. work in the coming months.

Key Design Elements update

As part of preparing for the construction of Phase One of HS2, we are developing a more detailed design of the railway.

A key aspect of this process is making the community aware of our work and seeking their views on certain structures or parts of the railway known as ‘Key Design Elements’.

In the coming months, we will be inviting members of the public to view and comment on our planned design for the route across the River Blythe near Hampton-in-Arden and the Balsall Common viaduct near Berkswell Railway Station.

For more updates about this engagement please visit hs2insolihull.co.uk and hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk. Installation of the bridge over the A446 ahead of main construction work

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Ecological work

Our work to create a ‘green corridor’ of new wildlife Our webinar programme started in September. habitats and woodlands alongside the railway is Dates for upcoming webinars will be advertised on progressing well. our local community websites.

This involves the planting of around 7 million new In addition to our habitat creation work, you may have trees and shrubs between London and the West seen our contractors installing fencing and removing Midlands, as well as the creation of a series of new some existing vegetation near you. This is necessary to wildlife habitats. So far, LM has planted nearly prepare the route of the railway for future 80,000 trees across the and construction activity and is being compensated by the . introduction of new woodlands and habitats alongside the railway. To show local communities how we are accomplishing this goal, we will host a series of At any ancient woodland sites we affect, we will be webinars with our ecological experts. These will relocating the existing soils to new woodlands nearby. look into different aspects of how we are creating This will involve a specific and careful process the green corridor. designed to maintain the valuable biodiversity that currently exists in the soils. This includes how we are creating a new network of woodland and wildlife habitats, how we are We understand that the community has strong managing our impact on local wildlife, including feelings about this work. Please be assured that we protected species, and how our archaeology teams will continue to work within the necessary regulations, are analysing plant remains to recreate our past including licences from Natural . In accordance landscapes. with the law, qualified ecologists will be on site to ensure wildlife species are protected.

Ecological mitigation site in Burton Green

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Creating a legacy for HS2

We are proud of our work among local communities in and Warwickshire. We are keen to create long-term benefits for the communities we work with, as well as any local economies impacted by the construction of HS2.

HS2 offers two funds that are available to local communities and businesses to help create a positive legacy for the project in your area. These are the Community and Environment Fund (CEF) and the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF).

The CEF is designed to give communities the opportunity to share in the benefits of HS2. It is an allocated fund that communities are able to apply for, to help to support local projects that aim to improve their local area.

In your area, we are supporting a number of initiatives including the Balsall and Berkswell Jubilee Project. The project provides recreational and educational activities for the Archaeology update local community, with an emphasis on Before we build Britain’s new high speed children, young people and the elderly to help railway, we’re delivering the largest archaeology reduce social isolation. We are funding programme ever undertaken in the UK. development of the Jubilee Community Archaeologists, specialists, scientists and Centre to replace the existing boiler and conservators will be exploring, recording and control panel, provide new acoustic panels, revealing over 10,000 years of British history. speakers and an amplifier, as well as some Trenching and mitigation work is still ongoing in notice boards. the area and we expect this to continue into next year. Once we finish work we’ll fully For more information about future funding reinstate each site, returning it to its original opportunities please visit hs2funds.org.uk. state.

We value the importance of keeping communities informed about our archaeological activities. Although the COVID-19 outbreak presents us with some unique challenges, we’re committed to developing alternative ways to share project news with local people. We’ve been hosting a series of webinars covering our archaeological work in and Warwickshire to date. To sign up to receive updates about these sessions, please visit hs2insolihull.co.uk and hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk.

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Responding to the coronavirus pandemic Following UK Government advice to stop non-essential social contact and avoid unnecessary travel during the coronavirus pandemic, we are modifying our public engagements and events. We have put in place alternative ways of communicating with you over the coming months, including through virtual events, meetings and webinars.

The HS2 Helpdesk remains operational all day, every day, if you need advice or information from HS2. You can contact the Helpdesk on:

Freephone: 08081 434 434 Minicom: 08081 456 472 Email: [email protected] Our works programme and traffic measures may change as further guidance from the Government is received. We advise subscribing to our community websit es for live updates about our work and programme of virtual events.

Our community websites

The planning and construction of HS2 is a huge operation – it is currently the largest infrastructure project in Europe.

It’s important to us that you are kept up to date about the progress of the project and any work that may i mpact you or your community. We have a series of community-focused websites where you can find out what is happening in your local area and sign up for updates about our activities.

To find your local community website, visit hs2insolihull.co.uk and hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk. For further information about Phase 2a and Phase 2b, visit: www.gov.uk/government/organisations/high- speed-two-limited.

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434 Keeping you informed We are committed to keeping you informed about work on HS2. This includes ensuring you know what to expect and when to expect it, as well as how we can help. Residents’ Charter and Commissioner The Residents’ Charter is our promise to Contact Us communicate as clearly as we possibly can with people who live along or near the HS2 route. If you have any questions about this www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2- newsletter, please get in touch. residents-charter We also have an independent Residents’ 24/7 Freephone 08081 434 434 Commissioner whose job is to make sure we Minicom 08081 456 472 keep to the promises we make in the Charter Email [email protected] and to keep it under constant review. Find reports at: Write to: www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2-ltd- FREEPOST residents-commissioner HS2 Community Engagement You can contact the Commissioner at: [email protected] Website www.hs2.org.uk

Construction Commissioner To keep up to date with what is happening The Construction Commissioner’s role is to in your local area, visit: mediate and monitor the way in which HS2 Ltd hs2inwarwickshire.co.uk or hs2insolihull.co.uk manages and responds to construction complaints. You can contact the Construction Commissioner by emailing: [email protected] Please contact us if you’d like a free copy of this document in large print, Braille, Property and compensation audio or easy read. You can also contact You can find out all about HS2 and properties us for help and information in a different along the line of route by visiting: language.

www.gov.uk/government/collections/hs2- HS2 Ltd is committed to protecting personal property information. If you wish to know more about how we Find out if you’re eligible for compensation at: use your personal information please see our Privacy www.gov.uk/claim-compensation-if-affected-by- Notice hs2 https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/high- speed-two-ltd-privacy-notice Holding us to account If you are unhappy for any reason you can make a complaint via the helpline. For more details on our complaints process, please visit our website: www.hs2.org.uk/how-to-complain Reference number: HS2-EW-LM-Ph1-Ar-No-N1-Site-50-10/05/2020 High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, registered in England and Wales. Registered office: Two Snowhill, Snow Hill Queensway, Birmingham B4 6GA. Company registration number: 06791686. VAT registration number: 181 4312 30

Call our HS2 Helpdesk team on 08081 434 434