We have received the following update from the Buckinghamshire County Council HS2 team:
(Note: previous Updates can be found on the Campaigns part of this web site at https://www.amershamsociety.org/topics/hs2/).
House of Lords Select Committee
The Select Committee has now published their report which you can read at http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/committees-a-z/lords-select/high-speed-rail-london-west-midlands-bill-select-committee-lords/news-parliament-2015/hs2-bill-committee-publishes-report/. It could be the end of January or February before the Bill finally achieves royal assent, subject to the Parliamentary process and third reading. Some amendments to the Bill have been proposed by various Peers and these were debated on 10 and 12 January 2017 in Grand Committee. You can see all the proposed amendments at http://lordsamendments.parliament.uk/?Session=2016-2017&Id=1313. It should be noted that no votes are allowed in a Grand Committee, and in turn that means that if a Peer objects to any amendment (including a government amendment) it should be withdrawn, to enable the House to decide the matter at the next stage – ie report stage.
It is expected that the Secretary of State and HS2 Ltd will respond to the Select Committee report next week.
Ground Investigations Works – Steeple Claydon area
Southern Gas Network (SGN) are planning to carry out ground investigation work to help them plan for works that may need to be carried out in relation to HS2’s proposals in the Steeple Claydon area. HS2 Ltd is posting out notification letters to around 230 properties in the area.
It is anticipated that the work will begin towards the end of January 2017. SGN is planning to dig ten temporary bore holes down into the ground to better understand the geological conditions in the area. It is expected each hole will take around one day to complete, so works are likely to last around 10 working days depending on the weather.
There may be some noise as the holes are dug, but SGN say they will try and minimise this as far as possible. This work is being carried out by agreement with the owners of the land where the temporary holes are to be located. Measures will also be put in place to protect the local road network from any mud that could spread whilst SGN travel to and from the site.
If you have any concerns about the works being carried out you can contact SGN directly by calling 0800 912 1700 or emailing customer@sgn.co.uk.
If you have any other questions relating to HS2 then please contact the HS2 Helpdesk by emailing HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk or by telephoning 020 7944 4908.
Colne Valley Additional Mitigation Plan Exhibition
Draft proposals have been drawn up for the additional £3m mitigation in the Colne Valley, by the officer working group. There will be public exhibitions to share the proposals as follows:
• Tuesday 7th February 2017, 4-8 pm (St. Mark’s Hall, 80 Green Tiles Lane, UB9 5HT, Denham)
• Wednesday 8th February 2017, 5-8 pm (Maple Cross JMI School, Denham Way, WD3 9SS, Maple Cross)
• Thursday 9th February 2017, 3-7 pm (Harefield Library, Park Lane, UB9 6BJ, Harefield)
• Sunday 12th February 2017, 10 am – 2 pm (Harefield Community Centre, Priory Avenue, UB9 6AP, South Harefield)
HS2 Class Approval for building work
HS2 Ltd is seeking blanket planning permission for support work to building its London to the West Midlands route. Paragraph 5 of Schedule 17 of the HS2 Phase 1 Bill allows the transport secretary to make a class approval, automatically approving construction arrangements during the works.
These relate to handling of re-useable spoil or topsoil; storage sites for construction materials, spoil or topsoil; construction camps; works screening; artificial lighting; dust suppression; and road mud control measures.
On the Channel Tunnel Rail Link and Crossrail, there was no capacity for a class approval, which the DfT argues resulted in “hundreds of identical submissions” being made to planning authorities along the route. The DfT has now launched a consultation on the draft class approval. It argues that no conditions are needed because the controls in the draft Code of Construction Practice are sufficient. You can view the consultation at https://www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/579280/high-speed-rail-bill-draft-class-approval.pdf.
HS2 Alerts
If you would like to be kept up to date will all the latest information on HS2 matters please contact Andrea Polden andreapolden@icloud.com who will add you to her mailing list. Andrea is a volunteer who shares daily information on HS2 matters.
Buckinghamshire County Council HS2 team:
Jackie Copcutt jcopcutt@buckscc.gov.ukTel: 01296 383793
Laura Martin-Leech lmartin@buckscc.gov.uk Tel: 01296 382163
HS2 Blueprint Mailbox HS2Blueprint@buckscc.gov.uk
BCC HS2 Webpages: http://www.buckscc.gov.uk/environment/hs2/