E15 High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community Area report CA3: Stone and Swynnerton High Speed Two (HS2) Limited Two Snowhill Snow Hill Queensway Birmingham B4 6GA 08081 434 434 [email protected] E15 July 2017 ES 3.2.1.3 E15 High Speed Rail (West Midlands - Crewe) Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community Area report CA3: Stone and Swynnerton July 2017 ES 3.2.1.3 High Speed Two (HS2) Limited has been tasked by the Department for Transport (DfT) with managing the delivery of a new national high speed rail network. It is a non-departmental public body wholly owned by the DfT. High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, Two Snowhill Snow Hill Queensway Birmingham B4 6GA Telephone: 08081 434 434 General email enquiries: [email protected] Website: www.gov.uk/hs2 A report prepared for High Speed Two (HS2) Limited: High Speed Two (HS2) Limited has actively considered the needs of blind and partially sighted people in accessing this document. The text will be made available in full on the HS2 website. The text may be freely downloaded and translated by individuals or organisations for conversion into other accessible formats. If you have other needs in this regard, please contact High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. © High Speed Two (HS2) Limited, 2017, except where otherwise stated. Copyright in the typographical arrangement rests with High Speed Two (HS2) Limited. This information is licensed under the Open Government Licence v2.0. To view this licence, visit www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/ version/2 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. Printed in Great Britain on paper containing at least 75% recycled fibre. Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community area 3, Stone and Swynnerton Contents Preface v Structure of the HS2 Phase 2a Environmental Statement vi 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Introduction to HS2 1 1.2 Purpose of this report 4 1.3 Structure of this report 4 2 Overview of the area and description of the Proposed Scheme 6 2.1 Overview of the area 6 2.2 Description of the Proposed Scheme 12 2.3 Construction of the Proposed Scheme 36 2.4 Operation of the Proposed Scheme 69 2.5 Route section alternatives 70 3 Stakeholder engagement and consultation 84 3.1 Introduction 84 3.2 Key stages of Phase 2a engagement and consultation 84 3.3 Engagement and consultation with stakeholder groups 86 4 Agriculture, forestry and soils 91 4.1 Introduction 91 4.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 91 4.3 Environmental baseline 92 4.4 Effects arising during construction 101 4.5 Effects arising from operation 114 5 Air quality 116 5.1 Introduction 116 5.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 116 5.3 Environmental baseline 117 5.4 Effects arising during construction 119 5.5 Effects arising from operation 122 i Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community area 3, Stone and Swynnerton 6 Community 124 6.1 Introduction 124 6.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 124 6.3 Environmental baseline 124 6.4 Effects arising during construction 126 6.5 Effects arising from operation 131 7 Cultural heritage 133 7.1 Introduction 133 7.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 134 7.3 Environmental baseline 135 7.4 Effects arising during construction 143 7.5 Effects arising from operation 147 8 Ecology and biodiversity 149 8.1 Introduction 149 8.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 149 8.3 Environmental baseline 150 8.4 Effects arising during construction 167 8.5 Effects arising from operation 183 9 Health 187 9.1 Introduction 187 9.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 187 9.3 Environmental baseline 188 9.4 Effects arising during construction 191 9.5 Effects arising from operation 197 10 Land quality 199 10.1 Introduction 199 10.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 199 10.3 Environmental baseline 200 10.4 Effects arising during construction 209 10.5 Effects arising from operation 215 11 Landscape and visual 217 11.1 Introduction 217 11.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 217 11.3 Environmental baseline 218 11.4 Temporary effects arising during construction 221 11.5 Permanent effects arising during operation 230 12 Socio-economics 244 12.1 Introduction 244 12.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 244 12.3 Environmental baseline 244 12.4 Effects arising during construction 247 12.5 Effects arising from operation 250 ii Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community area 3, Stone and Swynnerton 13 Sound, noise and vibration 252 13.1 Introduction 252 13.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 253 13.3 Environmental baseline 253 13.4 Effects arising during construction 254 13.5 Effects arising from operation 259 14 Traffic and transport 265 14.1 Introduction 265 14.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 265 14.3 Environmental baseline 266 14.4 Effects arising during construction 269 14.5 Effects arising from operation 280 15 Water resources and flood risk 285 15.1 Introduction 285 15.2 Scope, assumptions and limitations 286 15.3 Environmental baseline 286 15.4 Effects arising during construction 295 15.5 Effects arising from operation 302 16 References 304 List of figures Figure 1: Structure of the HS2 Phase 2a Environmental Statement 8 Figure 2: The HS2 Phase 2a route and community areas 3 Figure 3: Area context map 7 Figure 4: Norton Bridge to Stone sidings and Stone IMB-R reception tracks 34 Figure 5: Construction compounds showing key civil engineering works within the Stone and Swynnerton area 41 Figure 6: Construction compounds for railway installation works showing key works within the Stone and Swynnerton area 42 Figure 7: Construction phasing at the Stone railhead/IMB-R 47 Figure 8: Indicative construction programme between 2020 and 2027 65 Figure 9: Business sector composition in SBC area and the West Midlands 245 Figure 10: Employment by industrial sector in the SBC area and the West Midlands 246 List of tables Table 1: Demolitions to be managed from the Yarlet North cutting satellite compound 44 Table 2: Demolitions to be managed from the Yarnfield North embankment satellite compound 52 Table 3: Demolitions to be managed from the Hatton South cutting satellite compound 60 Table 4: Demolitions to be managed from the Hatton North cutting satellite compound 62 Table 5: Mechanisms and timeline of stakeholder engagement and consultation since the route announcement in November 2015 84 iii Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community area 3, Stone and Swynnerton Table 6: Engagement to date with technical and specialist groups 87 Table 7: Meetings held with communities and community stakeholders 90 Table 8: Summary characteristics of holdings 98 Table 9: Agricultural land required for the construction of the Proposed Scheme 104 Table 10: Summary of effects on holdings during construction 105 Table 11: Agricultural land required permanently 109 Table 12: Summary of permanent effects on holdings from construction 110 Table 13: Committed developments relevant to community 126 Table 14: Protected and notable species within the Stone and Swynnerton area 159 Table 15 Committed developments relevant to ecology and biodiversity 166 Table 16: Committed developments relevant to health 190 Table 17: Summary of the superficial and bedrock units underlying the Proposed Scheme in the Stone and Swynnerton area 201 Table 18: Landfill sites located in the study area 205 Table 19: Summary of sensitive receptors 207 Table 20: Committed developments relevant to land quality 208 Table 21: Summary of baseline CSM for sites which may pose a contaminative risk for the Proposed Scheme 211 Table 22: Summary of effects for mining and mineral resources 214 Table 23: Committed developments relevant to landscape and visual 220 Table 24: Construction phase significant landscape effects 222 Table 25: Construction phase significant visual effects 223 Table 26: Operational phase significant landscape effects 231 Table 27: Operational phase significant visual effects 233 Table 28: Typical vehicle trip generation for construction sites in the Stone and Swynnerton area 272 Table 29: Key surface water bodies and their WFD status 287 Table 30: Summary of geology and hydrogeology in the study area 288 Table 31: River flood risk sources and receptors 293 Table 32: Surface water flood risk sources and receptors 294 iv Environmental Statement Volume 2: Community area 3, Stone and Swynnerton Preface The Environmental Statement This document forms part of Volume 2 of the Environmental Statement (ES) that accompanies the deposit of the hybrid Bill for Phase 2a of High Speed Two (HS2). Phase 2a comprises the second section of the proposed HS2 rail network, between the West Midlands and Crewe, and is referred to in this ES as the ‘Proposed Scheme’. The ES sets out the Proposed Scheme, its likely significant environmental effects and the measures proposed to mitigate those effects. Phase 2b comprises the remainder of Phase Two, between Crewe and Manchester and between the West Midlands and Leeds, completing what is known as the ‘Y network’. Phase 2b will be the subject of a separate hybrid Bill and therefore is not the subject of this ES. The hybrid Bill for Phase One of the HS2 network, between London and the West Midlands, was the subject of an ES submitted in November 2013, followed by subsequent ESs deposited with Additional Provisions to that Bill in 2014 and 2015. The Bill received Royal Assent in February 2017 and initial works on Phase One have commenced. Consultation on the Environmental Statement The public has an opportunity to comment on this ES as part of the hybrid Bill submission. The period of public consultation on the ES extends for at least 56 days (eight weeks) following the first newspaper notices that follow deposit of Bill documents in Parliament.