Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire Autumn 2020 3 Month Construction Look Ahead Autumn 2020 Version 1 This forward look covers HS2 works in Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire. The document includes: A forward look of construction activities planned in the next 3 months Works to be aware of that will take place in the next 12 months, but may not yet have been confirmed The dates and information included in the forward look are subject to change as the programme develops. These will be updated in the next edition of the forward look. If you have any queries about the information in this forward look, you can contact the HS2 Community Helpline on 08081 434 434, or by emailing [email protected] Page 2 Our Community Commitments Our aspiration is to be a good neighbour every single day, by respecting the people and communities we impact and being sensitive to their needs, earning our social licence to operate. In order to build the railway, we must earn the trust and credibility to do so. We need to demonstrate that we understand local concerns, and that we have taken all reasonable steps to address issues that have been raised, whilst continually looking to lessen the impacts of the project. Through our Community Engagement Strategy and Residents’ Charter, we have identified 10 Community Commitments, which we will use as the basis for measuring our success, and that of our suppliers, in how we deliver the new railway. We will: 1. Continue to build respectful, long-term relationships with communities, and actively encourage our workforce to listen to local concerns and be considerate and accountable for their actions at all times. 2. Work with communities to develop local 2-way engagement and communication programmes, and ensure these are accessible and tailored to local needs. 3. Make sure communities are made aware in advance of any activities taking place in their area. 4. Operate a Freephone Community Helpline 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. 5. Make health and safety a priority for communities and our workforce. 6. Respect the wellbeing of communities, minimising disruption to their lives with local mitigation plans and activities, ensuring we meet the standards set out in the Code of Construction Practice. 7. Leave a positive and sustainable legacy for the communities in which we operate. 8. Respond to questions and complaints quickly and efficiently, with an acknowledgement within 2 working days, and responding within a maximum of 20 working days if we cannot answer the query straightaway. 9. Promote awareness of all our property schemes, so that anyone who may be eligible has all the information they need and is aware of the support available to them. 10. Display the Residents’ Commissioner and Construction Commissioner’s contact details on all relevant materials, along with the HS2 Helpline information and complaints procedure. The Code of Construction Practice forms part of the Secretary of State’s Environmental Minimum Requirements for the construction of the railway from London to the West Midlands. It sets out the standards and responsibilities to protect communities and the environment during construction. The Code includes the requirement for local, site-specific measures to limit disturbance from construction activities, as far as reasonably practical. It covers areas such as hours of work, pollution, security, traffic and transport, noise and vibration, cultural heritage, ecology, landscape, air quality, water resources, flood risk, ground settlement, land quality, waste and agriculture, forestry and soil. A copy of the Code can be found online here: www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/593592/Code_of_Construction_Practice.pdf Page 3 Buckinghamshire – South Bucks and Chiltern District Location of Works Proposed Duration Description of Works Tilehouse Lane/South Portal Sept – Winter 2020 Fusion will continue to carry out maintenance works on the habitat sites within this area. Site Planting works within this area will begin in November 2020. Over the next 3 months, works will continue on the construction of a new power sub-station at the South Portal site. This sub-station will be used to power the Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) once the tunnelling operations commence on site. Align will be constructing a precast concrete factory for the viaduct and tunnel segments. The cradle slab for TBM will begin to be built in September, as well as a plant works shop for the TBMs. The Tilehouse Lane overbridge works begins in September and continue through Autumn and Winter. A412/Denham Water Ski Club Sept – Winter 2020 A new works compound has been set up at the Denham Water Ski Club. This compound will be used as a base for the vegetation clearance and fencing work teams that will be working throughout the Colne Valley area. Control and treatment programme for Japanese knot weed will continue in this area throughout 2020. Align will begin to construct the Colne Valley Viaduct Satellite Compound from Autumn into Winter. Affinity Water access road construction is underway and will continue into Winter and is being co-ordinated with the construction of a haul road crossing on the A412. Chalfont St Peter, Vent Shaft Ongoing Fusion will continue to carry out maintenance works on the natural habitat sites within this Location/Access Road to A413 area. Align have completed the Temporary Access Road to the vent shaft site which will be used from now onward for heavy goods vehicles. Page 4 Location of Works Proposed Duration Description of Works The Diaphragm wall construction is underway and will continue into Winter. Chalfont St Giles Vent Shaft Ongoing Works continue at Bottom House Farm Lane on the construction of a new access road. The Location, Bottom House Farm access road will lead to the site that will house a vent shaft for the tunnelled section of the Lane HS2 route. Works on the vent shaft will be carried out by main work contractors later this year. Construction of the junction for the new access road onto the A413 has commenced, and will continue through Winter 2020. Align will mobilise to site in Autumn at the vent shaft site with main construction works beginning in the new year. Amersham Highway Junctions Ongoing Whielden Lane: Works on the Amersham Vent Shaft are now underway by the main works Whielden Lane/A404 contractor. Further works to commission permanent traffic signals as part of the junction Gore Hill A355 and A413 improvement works are still required. Gore Hill: Preparation works and subsequent construction of the widening to the roundabout arms. Little Missenden Vent Shaft Ongoing Ecological surveys will continue to be carried out up until the site is handed over to the main Location works contractors in October 2020. From late October and throughout Winter enabling works to set up the compound will begin ahead of the construction of the ventilation shaft planned for late Spring next year. This will include temporary traffic management on the A413 and the construction of new roundabout. Chesham Road Vent Shaft November – Winter 2020 Fencing and vegetation clearance. Location Page 5 Location of Works Proposed Duration Description of Works Great Missenden Area July – Winter 2020 Road widening of the Link Road, Great Missenden, and A413 started in July 2020 and will be (including A413 and Haul Road completed by December 2020. Scheme Designs) National Grid 400kV overhead utility diversion works. Foundation strengthening works Sept - Nov 2020 ongoing by Frith Hill Rd following successful completion of overhead line diversions at Chalk embankment trail Construction of Great Missenden temporary compound. North Portal May – July 2020 Newt and reptile relocation and vegetation clearance North Portal. Wendover June – Oct 2020 A413 Junction improvement works at Small Dean. Sept – Nov 2020 Pump testing and spring flow monitoring. Vegetation clearance. Autumn/Winter 2020 Small Dean compound construction. Winter 2020/21 Microbore tunnelling for South Heath Culvert. Sept 2019 – Oct 2020 National Grid 400kV overhead utility diversion works. Reinstatement works ongoing at Grove Farm following successful completion of overhead line diversions Wendover Aug – Dec 2020 Archaeology (Grim’s Ditch). Various Locations Summer/Autumn 2020 As HS2 acquires some of the land across the line of route to enable our construction, there may be boundary fencing installed and an increase in other associated activities, such as surveys and localised vegetation clearance. Page 6 Buckinghamshire – Aylesbury Vale Location of Works Proposed Duration Description of Works Wendover to Aylesbury Area Summer – Winter 2020 Ecological surveys and mitigation, archaeology, vegetation clearance and planting. St Mary’s Demolished Church Burial Site, Ongoing Temporary works to construct a bell mouth, access road, bridges and Stoke Mandeville compounds began in June concurrently with the archaeology programme of works. Aylesbury Autumn 2020 A41 vegetation clearance. Autumn/Winter 2020 Construction of the bell mouth at Oxford Road. Autumn/Winter 2020 Oxford Road Compound. Winter 2020/21 Demolition of Glebe House. Autumn/Winter 2020/21 Break from highway and compound at A41. Bishopstone/Aylesbury Area Summer – Winter 2020 Ecology surveys will be taking place to identify the local wildlife in various locations ahead of relocation activities. Fencing works will continue at various locations as land possession continues. Archaeology surveys and trial trench work will begin to identify any archaeology in the area. We will undertake this work at specific locations, where our surveys have suggested there may be archaeology. Sept 2019 – Oct 2020 Page 7 Location of Works Proposed Duration Description of Works National Grid 400kV overhead utility diversion works. Reinstatement works and foundation strengthening works ongoing following successful completion of overhead line diversions Continuation of archaeology works and translocation of various species that are Doddershall May – Autumn 2020 carefully removed from this location and moved to a new habitat. Quainton Road March – Nov 2020 SGN diversion of high-pressure gas line works.