PHASE ONE DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Community Forum Area Report 6 | South Ruislip to Ickenham HS2 London-West Midlands May 2013 ENGINE FOR GROWTH DRAFT ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT Community Forum Area Report ENGINE FOR GROWTH 6 I South Ruislip to Ickenham 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/25 Printed in Great Britain on paper containing at least 75% recycled fibre. CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents Contents Draft Volume 2: Community Forum Area Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 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: South Ruislip to Ickenham – overview of the area and description of the Proposed Scheme 10 2 South Ruislip to Ickenham 11 2.1 Overview of the area 11 2.2 Description of the Proposed Scheme 15 2.3 Construction of the Proposed Scheme 17 2.4 Operation of the Proposed Scheme 28 2.5 Community forum engagement 29 2.6 Route section main alternatives 29 2.7 Proposals for further consideration 34 Part C: Environmental topic assessments 35 3 Agriculture, forestry and soils 36 3.1 Introduction 36 3.2 Policy framework 36 3.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 36 3.4 Environmental baseline 36 3.5 Construction 37 3.6 Operation 38 1 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents 4 Air quality 39 4.1 Introduction 39 4.2 Policy framework 39 4.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 39 4.4 Environmental baseline 39 4.5 Construction 40 4.6 Operation 41 5 Community 42 5.1 Introduction 42 5.2 Policy framework 42 5.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 42 5.4 Environmental baseline 42 5.5 Construction 44 5.6 Operation 45 6 Cultural heritage 47 6.1 Introduction 47 6.2 Policy framework 47 6.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 47 6.4 Environmental baseline 47 6.5 Construction 48 6.6 Operation 50 7 Ecology 51 7.1 Introduction 51 7.2 Policy framework 51 7.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 51 7.4 Environmental baseline 52 7.5 Construction 54 7.6 Operation 57 8 Land quality 58 8.1 Introduction 58 8.2 Policy framework 58 8.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 58 8.4 Environmental baseline 58 8.5 Construction 60 8.6 Operation 62 2 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents 9 Landscape and visual assessment 64 9.1 Introduction 64 9.2 Policy framework 64 9.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 64 9.4 Environmental baseline 65 9.5 Construction 66 9.6 Operation 69 10 Socio-economics 73 10.1 Introduction 73 10.2 Policy framework 73 10.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 73 10.4 Environmental baseline 73 10.5 Construction 74 10.6 Operation 76 11 Sound, noise and vibration 77 11.1 Introduction 77 11.2 Policy framework 77 11.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 77 11.4 Environmental baseline 78 11.5 Construction 78 11.6 Operation 79 12 Traffic and transport 82 12.1 Introduction 82 12.2 Policy framework 82 12.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 82 12.4 Environmental baseline 83 12.5 Construction 85 12.6 Operation 88 13 Water resources and flood risk assessment 89 13.1 Introduction 89 13.2 Policy framework 89 13.3 Assessment scope and key assumptions 89 13.4 Environmental baseline 90 13.5 Construction 91 13.6 Operation 94 14 References 96 2 3 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents List of figures Figure 1: HS2 Phase One route and community forum areas 8 Figure 2: Area context map 12 Figure 3: Indicative construction programme for the area 28 Figure 4: Business Sector Composition in LBH and London 74 List of tables Table 1: Location of construction site compounds, 18 Table 2: Demolition works 21 Table 3: Footpath, cycleway and bridleway diversions 24 Table 4: Holdings that would be affected by the Proposed Scheme 37 Table 5: Preliminary evaluation of likely value of protected and/or notable species occurring within this study area 53 Table 6: Significant residual construction effects on ecological receptors within the study area 56 Table 7: Significant residual operational effects on ecological receptors within this study area 57 Table 8: Significant landscape effects during construction 67 Table 9: Significant visual effects during construction 68 Table 10: Significant landscape effects during operation year 1 (2026) 70 Table 11: Significant visual effects during operation year 1 (2026) 71 Table 12: Options for further mitigation 81 Table 13: Typical vehicle trip generation for site compounds in this area 85 4 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents Draft Volume 2: Community Forum Area Report South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 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 set of drawings, 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 South Ruislip to Ickenham area, CFA6. The draft ES has been written in a clear and accessible manner; 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. 5 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 I Contents Part A: Introduction 6 CFA Report – South Ruislip to Ickenham/No 6 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. 1.2 Purpose of this report 1.2.1 This report presents the likely significant environmental effects as a result of the construction and operation of the Proposed Scheme that have been identified to date within the area of South Ruislip to Ickenham (CFA6).