News analysis
forthcoming. According to the report that put forward the amendments, the alterations had come as a result of an earlier remit issued by the last government. Soon after the publication of the HS2 report, the then transport secretary, Lord Adonis, had asked for further work to be carried out, including instructions to ‘further refine the assessment of, and proposals for, mitigation of impacts of Route 3, especially in respect of noise and other environmental impacts’. The instructions appear to have been the catalyst for what the latest report describes as a ‘stage-by-stage review of the Route 3 alignment’. So what’s been changed? Well a lot more than many expected.
The changes made appear to focus on the route north of the Chilterns towards Birmingham and beyond. A six page report, published by the Department for Transport (DfT), states that a section by section review has identified a number of locations where the environmental impact could be reduced through alterations to the alignment. This, according to the document, includes moving further from centres of population or sensitive sites, or lowering the alignment to reduce running on viaduct and reducing the visual and noise impacts. The report says, however, that: ‘It has been recognised that
reducing the impact on one location may have an adverse impact on another, thus a careful balancing of effects has been necessary. It has therefore been the case that some possible alterations explored have not been recommended as, on balance, the original published preferred alignment has been considered to have less or no greater overall adverse impact.’
Northamptonshire
According to the report, the changes that have been proposed have no material impact on the cost or journey times and the decision on whether to recommend a route has been made on ‘sustainable grounds’ alone. The biggest changes happen at Brackley in Northamptonshire, where the high speed route would be moved further away from the town. Two other places, which have been focal points for opposition, have also seen revisions. Ladbroke and Southam in Warwickshire will both see additional mitigation work and changes to the alignment. Another place spared some of the worst affects of a high
speed line is Burton Green in Warwickshire. There, HS2 would have cut the village in half as it passed through the area on an old railway line. The review suggests that the line should still use the disused line, but instead it should be lowered and covered at
‘The changes made appear to focus on the route north of the Chilterns towards Birmingham and beyond’
the point where it passes through the village. A similar scheme has been suggested further south at Chipping Warden, while a planned viaduct in the Stoneleigh area, near Leamington Spa, would also be lowered. The final revision helps villagers at Hints in Staffordshire,
close to where the high speed line would connect with the West Coast Main Line. A more westerly approach that would have moved the line further away from the village has been looked at but discounted, primarily because of the potential for generating more noise as a result of wheel flanges pressing against the rails at high speed, because of the need for a curve in the track. Instead there’s now a proposal to slightly lower the line to reduce the noise and visual impact of the line. The changes announced last month took many, including
protesters, by surprise. Some had been expecting an announcement this month as the coalition government moves towards a planned public consultation early next year. The revisions don’t appear to have changed the views of those objecting to HS2. Some have given them a cautious welcome, although ultimately most of those affected still want to see the line scrapped altogether. Although only small enhancements in some places, the
changes that have been made show that ministers are listening to what people are saying in the places affected and that they are willing to review the plans. Some also feel that the fact that many of the areas affected happen to have Conservatives as their sitting MPs may also have played a part in bringing about the changes. Additional research ordered by the transport secretary on routes into Heathrow Airport and connections between HS1 and HS2 have still to be published. The DfT will only say that further announcements are expected in the autumn.
PETER PLISNER IS THE BBC’S MIDLANDS TRANSPORT CORRESPONDENT:
peter.plisner@
railpro.co.uk
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