West London Partnership
!0th February 2011
Agenda Item 3
High Speed 2 (HS2) Briefing – Issues and Opportunities
Report by MVA Consultants for WLP
1.1.1On 21st December 2010 the Government announced the proposed route of HS2 between London Euston and Birmingham as a first phase of the national high-speed rail network. Public consultation on the route and on the Government’s strategy for high speed rail is due to start at end February 2011; the consultation period will be 5 months. The timeline for construction has not yet been advised by the Government.
1.1.2Plans of the route through West London are attached. From the east, the route includes a below-ground-level station at Old Oak Common providing a connection to Crossrail, with HS2 emerging to at-grade level at North Action and then aligned on the north side and adjacent to the Central Line and then the Chiltern Line to West Ruislip. West of West Ruislip the route departs north westwards from the Chiltern Line.
1.1.3HS2 will have new bridges over roads, rivers and canals and the LUL line at Ruislip. There will be a new retaining structure between Northolt and South Ruislip. The London to West Midlands Report notes that the recommended option at Northolt/South Ruislip is to lower the HS2 line and raise the Chiltern line on a new alignment including a viaduct. The Government announcement notes that this will move the alignment slightly further away from housing.
1.1.4The Government also plans a spur route to Heathrow airport running at ground level close to the M25 form part of its length as a second phase of the network. Government has asked HS2 Ltd “to carry out further work on such a spur route with a view to public consultation later in this Parliament alongside the routes to Manchester and Leeds.” Some construction work for the spur would be included in Phase 1 such as an underbridge and a length of retaining wall at Northolt.
1.1.5A direct connection to HS1, the Channel Tunnel line to Europe, is also planned. This will be via a new tunnel from Old Oak Common to the North London Line near Chalk Farm, from where existing infrastructure can be used to reach the HS1 line north of St Pancras
1.1.6When the consultation is launched, the Government “will also publish a revised business case; a full Appraisal of sustainability; noise contour maps; and route visualisations; all of which can only be completed now that the final preferred route for consultation has been determined” (from Minister’s Statement).
2Key Issues for West London
2.1.1These key issues can be categorised as:
Environmental and social concerns, Construction Plans and Property Impacts
Regeneration and economic opportunities
Connectivity and accessibility improvements
2.1.2Some Borough draft LIPs have included comments on HS2 and these are listed in Appendix 2.
2.2Environmental and Social Concerns,Construction Plans and Property Impacts
2.2.1The HS2 construction plans will affect adjacent land and infrastructure and will have impacts on properties in the Boroughs of Ealing, Hillingdon, Hammersmith and Fulham and potentially also Brent. The 2009 Arup Route Engineering Report states that:
“This would necessitate land take to the north of the rail corridor, and this would affect both industrial and residential properties. In most areas the additional width required would be less than 10m.” “Land take would be minimised by the extensive use of retaining walls, but some acquisition of residential property (generally gardens) and industrial property would be inevitable”.
2.2.2The report also states that: “In order to mitigate the noise created by HS trains, HS2 Ltd agreed to limit the maximum line speed locally to 250kph”.
2.2.3The impacts will be felt particularly LB Ealing for properties at Hanger Lane and in Greenford, Perivale and Northolt close to the line. The more recent route alignment drawings showing the recommended option at Northolt/ South Ruislip have been adjusted from those shown in the 2009 Arup Report. In the case of Ealing, the Northolt Corridor has been reduced in width from 22m to 16m and the alignment adjusted in parts to move away from housing (a definite improvement). For LB Hillingdon the impacts will be felt particularly in South Ruislip, RuislipGardens and West Ruislip close to the line.
2.2.4Several bridges will need to be rebuilt and existing stations remodelled/modified.
2.2.5The environmental and social impacts cannot yet be determined in detail. No doubt, the consultation documents will contain more detailed information on the route enabling these impacts to be assessed.
2.3Regeneration and Economic Opportunities
2.3.1The direct regeneration opportunities are at Old Oak Common in the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham near the new HS2 and Crossrail stations. Nearby sites within Park Royal will benefit; this will affect the Borough of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing. There may also be regeneration benefits for Kensal Green in RB Kensington and Chelsea.
2.3.2The new stations may also bring economic benefits for areas further away from Old Oak Common particularly in the Boroughs of Hammersmith and Fulham, Brent and Ealing.
2.3.3The LB Hammersmith and Fulham Communications Briefing Note refers to the station at Old Oak being named Park Royal International and states that “10,000 new homes and 5,000 new jobs will be created at Old Oak – an area which is crying out for a boost with unemployment well above the national average and poor access to housing and other services a major problem for local people”. The Note also states that: “the area within 2km of Old Oak contains some of the most deprived communities in England”.
2.4Connectivity and Accessibility Improvements
2.4.1There will be the direct benefit of improved connectivity of all of West London to the West Midlands (and beyond) and to Europe and of improved accessibility to Crossrail for residents and businesses close to the new station at Old Oak Common.
2.4.2Much greater connectivity and accessibility benefits will be achieved if Transport for London plans, described in the West London Subregional Transport Plan, are implemented. These plans involve direct interchange at Old Oak Common with the West London and North London Lines and new passenger links to Hounslow and to Brent Cross. This would improve journey-time access between West London and both South and North London. It would also improve journey-time access within West London particularly for orbital movements between locations in the Boroughs of Harrow, Brent, Ealing, Hammersmith and Fulham, Hillingdon and Hounslow.
2.4.3But there is a concern raised by LB Brent that a new station at Old Oak Common could become a barrier to addressing the issues facing Brent residents rather than an opportunity.
2.4.4A further benefit of the greater connectivity and accessibility would be a switch from car to public transport for journeys from South and North London to key destinations in West London including Heathrow. This would result in reduced highway congestion, pollutants and carbon emissions in West London.
2.4.5 A Figure illustrating this connectivity, taken from the West London Subregional Plan (Figure 2.9), follows.
NOTE:
HS2 shown in Blue
Crossrail and Great Western Rail shown in Brown
Local rail lines shown in Orange
2.4.6APPENDIX 1 KEY DOCUMENTS
Key relevant documents to date are listed below. The first five can be found on the HS2 website:
Government Announcement of HS2 Proposed Route for Consultation, 21st December 2010
Minister’s Statement to House of Commons of 21st December 2010
Options for Connection to the HeathrowAirport Area, Final Report, Arup, 2010
London to the West Midlands and Beyond, Confirming the Line of Route: Supplementary Report, 3rd December 2010
Route Engineering Study Final Report: A report for High Speed Two Ltd, Arup, 2009
LB Hammersmith and Fulham Communications Briefing Note of 20th December 2010
APPENDIX 2 – BOROUGH DRAFT LIPs
LB Brent
LB Brent’s draft LIP includes this objective and follows with further comments and a concern:
“OBJECTIVE 3: SECURING BENEFITS FROM HS2. (i) To support the development of the new high speed rail link between London, the West Midlands and the north of England - High-Speed 2 (HS2). Particularly, to secure the benefits to Brent regarding a new interchange station with Crossrail/HS2 - at Old Oak Common - are maximised by way of a sub-surface travellator linking to Willesden Junction station, near Harlesden town centre.”
“HS2 / Old Oak Common and Willesden Junction Station. There are significant benefits to be reaped by Brent in relation to HS2 and a new interchange at Old Oak Common.
Presently there are two main issues, in the short to medium term the onus is on improving the poor conditions at the station & environs. Longer term, the issues relate to the (potential) barriers and maximising the opportunities to Brent associated with Old Oak Common proposals
At present, there is a 'rail connectivity team; looking at (i) new station to west (Acton Wells) connecting down onto OOC hub (this would connect with the North London line and provide the Dudden Hill line opportunity) and (ii) shifting North London & West London Lines to a new station next to HS2.
All this is very early days but, at present, officers can see little sign of HS2 or TfL prioritising access for Brent residents (currently provided for by Willesden Junction). This is of significant concern to the borough and we will strive to ensure that the project brings about ease of access via Willesden Junction.
Ultimately, there is a risk that a new station at Old Oak Common could become a barrier to addressing the issues facing Brent residents rather than an opportunity.”
LB Harrow
LB Harrow’s draft LIP comments:
“Specifically, Harrow will be working with other West London boroughs and TfL to do thefollowing: Consider the impact of High Speed 2 (HS2) rail connections to Heathrow and thepotential interchange with Crossrail at Old Oak Common or Iver Parkway. If Old OakCommon is the selected interchange location, then a further Crossrail station wouldbe needed at the station. West London including Harrow favours the interchange atOld Oak Common which will have significant benefits for the whole area.”
LBs Ealing, Hounslow and Hillingdon
I could not find reference to HS2 or Old Oak Common in the LB Ealing and Hounslow draft LIPs. The LB Hillingdon draft LIP mentions HS2 as a major transportation infrastructure proposal but does not comment on its impact.
LB Hammersmith and Fulham
LB Hammersmith and Fulham’s draft LIP sets out its objective for regeneration areas and comments further:
Support sustainable population and employment growth in the fiveregeneration areas - WhiteCity Opportunity Area, North FulhamRegeneration Area, HammersmithTown and Riverside, SouthFulham Riverside and Old Oak Common and Hythe Road area.
Old Oak Common and Hythe Road area are given an indicative value of 1600 new homes and 5000 new jobs.
Promoting high speed rail - We welcome the last government’s decision to progress a proposal for a HighSpeed Rail line (HS2) from London to the Midlands and North, which includes astation at Old Oak Common which will provide interchange with Crossrail,Heathrow Express and the Great Western main line. We also welcome thecoalition government’s decision to proceed with HS2 and we aim to secure theircommitment to the provision of a station at Old Oak Common as soon aspossible. Such a station will provide a major stimulus to the regeneration of thearea and is supported by Brent and Ealing councils and the Park RoyalPartnership.Construction of HS2 is not expected to start until 2017, after the timescale of thisdelivery plan, but the council will continue to work with HS2, the Department forTransport (DfT) and TfL on developing studies to support the transport andregeneration cases for an Old Oak Common station and on plans for publictransport and road access to the station.”