HS2 responds to Select Committee Phase 2a report

HS2 Phase 2a’s promoter - effectively the Secretary of State for Transport but also encompassing the Department for Transport and HS2 Ltd - has responded to recommendations by the Phase 2a Select Committee’s First Special Report of Session for 2017-19, which was published in late May.

Among the decisions in the report is a rejection of petitioners’ calls for the tunnel between Whitmore and Madeley Heath to be a single-bore design, arguing that the committee “has to balance the cost of the tunnel compared with the cost to the environment”.

It also rejected proposals by petitioners to relocate the proposed infrastructure maintenance base from Stone to Aldersey’s Rough, on the basis that the amount of additional work such a decision would incur to make it a viable solution would be too costly and disruptive.

In response to concerns about the height of the River Lea viaduct, HS2 found that by extending the southern portal of the adjacent Whitmore tunnel the entry point and the viaduct could be lowered.

This is estimated to save around £12.8 million compared with the original proposals, and the promoter says it will deposit an Additional Provision to the Bill to do so in late 2018 or early 2019. At that time, updated costs for this work will be published.

Although the Select Committee expressed doubts regarding the methodology used for Phase 2a’s optimism bias, HS2 pointed out that it uses the Green Book process required by HM Treasury.

In response to concerns raised by the committee about detailed costings, the promoter said: “The challenge in relation to releasing costs is to strike the right balance between providing sufficient information to allow the full consideration of the issues without exposing commercially sensitive data in advance of a competitive tendering process. The Promoter will seek to provide the Select Committee with greater granularity of information on costs to assist in its decision-making, while maintaining this balance.”

Concerns were also raised about construction traffic in some areas. In response, the promoter offered assurances that in one case the southern part of a road will not be used as a construction lorry route, and that other proposed road improvement schemes could help mitigate additional traffic.

On concerns about monitoring translocated woodland, the promoter confirmed that it has committed to 50 years of managing and monitoring at all locations where the translocation of ancient woodland soils is proposed.