Many Steeple Claydon residents are planning to submit a response to the High Speed Two Environmental Impact Consultation in time for the 11th July deadline.
Below are some suggestions of some of the points you may wish to include. It will have the maximum impact if you can rephrase them in your own words.
Preamble:
This document discusses concerns and mitigation regarding the IMD. This may be used to help parishioners compose their own ‘response’ when replying to HS2 Ltd. It should NOT be copied but regarded as a prompt sheet to create their own view together with any of their own concerns. The more views that have an individual look albeit communicating the core message the greater the impact that may have.
Concerns:
- 24/7 working during construction IMD and Temporary railhead. The detail on what is going to happen at night is not explained. Night time working is not acceptable and was not mentioned at the Community Forums.
- Perry Road closure. The SCPC proposals to reinstate this road alongside the IMD in as straight line as possible to maintain the original traffic flow but going under EWR and over HS2 have been made during a community forum. Please confirm in due course the final plan once agreed with BCCC.
- No noise maps of the depot. They should have been provided bearing in mind how early it starts and its proximity to people. We understand they will not be known publically until the ES is published. How can that be a consultation?
- No detail on the rail head. This is a significant contribution to the overall noise especially at night and no explanation on how care will be applied in this region when currently the environment here at night is extremely quiet at typically <30dba .="" a="" be="" can="" consultation="" how="" p="" that="">
- No detail on the accommodation facilities the 200 or so workers may have at the West Street camp to ensure their needs to not interfere with the community. Is a hotel being planned on site with cinema and bar etc? Any workers coming into the village will be detrimental. How can that be a consultation? Consider the approach that local businesses come to the site NOT the site comes to the village for their needs.
- No detail on the lighting impact the depot scheme will cause. How can that be a consultation? Please share the lighting plan before it gets installed.
- Insufficient detail on traffic mitigation. SCPC has a zero tolerance view on extra traffic in the village cause by the scheme be that in construction or in operation. The solution therefore is for visitors/workers to transit to the IMD site, be that during construction or in operation via rail and utilising the requested halt/station. Statements in the DES discuss large numbers of workers’ cars/LGV’s and HGV’s but say the impact on key roads is TBD. HS2 have proposed car sharing. That is ineffective and difficult to implement. Is it 4 to a car? , 2 to a car ? and how would this be implemented or policed for many years. SCPC has other ideas based on existing rail infrastructure and Licence Plate Recognition Technology and they are discussed below.
Specific mitigation ideas from SCPC that need to be discussed, confirmed and implemented:
- Requested strongly by SCPC at a community forum 2012 that a construction halt or station on EWR is built to get workers in rather than by car. If materials can come by train so should staff. Section 2.7 refers to ongoing input from the community about that so please confirm that asap. (Tables A and B demonstrate that). Additionally please ensure the halt/station remains for operational staff of the IMD 2026+ to use thus mitigating the traffic detailed in table C. (i.e. please negotiate with Network Rail.)
- A new Perry Rd should be built based on the draft proposal from SCPC. The original plan by HS2 ‘via Charndon and Portway Farm route’ is simply not acceptable as it will have various negative aspects such as forcing more traffic via Steeple Claydon and causing issues at Charndon, Portway farm and Twyford. SCPC is aware draft drawings are now with BCCC and the outcome of those talks need to be communicated to the parishioners at the earliest opportunity.
- Automatic Licence Plate Recognition Technology (ALPRT) cameras are placed at the entrances to the village to catch unauthorised vehicles be that commuting workers in their private cars/vans or HGVs etc wanting to do a rat run through the village over the years of construction. Plate numbers of any vehicle associated with the construction would be in a database. Software could then distinguish who was not meant to be there at any period. The advantage of ALPRT is that it requires no in vehicle equipment and with appropriate software can be flexible to cope with a changing workforce and construction needs during the years of work. HS2 Ltd should start asking for tenders on such a scheme that could cope with 4 construction sites an 8 year programme and the many thousands of workers involved. This idea was expressed by SCPC at the 4th June HS2 roadshow and it was regarded as an excellent thought by at least two representatives of HS2 Ltd and they requested it be included in our response. It has so please ensure it happens. (This is repeated in Question 3 as it is relevant to the C of C).
- The construction companies need to build, aside from bedrooms for the 200 workers, amenities such as cinema, on site ‘shop’ , and on site ‘pub’ and welfare facilities to make them independent of SC, Twyford. Calvert etc. There should be agreements in place to allow local businesses to sell into the on site shop or pub. i.e. the village goes to the construction site instead of the construction site coming to Steeple Claydon. If not the social impact of cars visiting / parking/ impacting the population is huge. No detail on that at all. (This is repeated in Question 3 as it is relevant to the C of C).
- Noise monitoring stations in place around depot and use of special quiet equipment & trains at night needs to be devised. Invoke a no work at night rule ideally (as mitigation)
- HS2 contractors resurface the whole of Addison road and West Street at least and any other roads they use locally. Residents want some benefit. E.g. the Addisson Road bridge will be no doubt beautifully finished for drivers only to find oneself back on the old road surface made worse by their past traffic from HS2. The old joke of returning the roads to the condition they were in should not be applied. Please make it better.
- Extend the new waste Rd to the IMD to provide a clear conduit from the A41 to the IMD site. This needs discussing with stakeholders naturally but for a short length of additional Road from Calvert to the IMD it seems a logical thing to do.
- Ensure state of the art lighting technology is used at the IMD with a view to minimising the pollution in an area that today enjoys and totally dark environment. Please discuss with local authorities
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