Residents’ feedback leads to revisions for Streethay cutting

HS2 Ltd’s designers have reduced the length of wall structures for the railway at Streethay (near Lichfield) from 1.6km (one mile) to 420 metres.

The company says 80% less concrete will be needed, helping HS2 to meet its carbon-cutting efforts. The new design will save around 70,000m3, the equivalent of about 6,700 concrete mixer lorry loads. HS2 says some 420,000 tonnes of carbon have already been saved in this part of the project.

The previous proposal was for the railway to cross the A38 Rykneld Street, the A38 southbound slip road, and the South Staffordshire rail line. Community feedback received from a public consultation led to the revised design, which now means HS2 will pass underneath these corridors.

The railway will pass through Streethay in a cutting, and the shortening of the retaining structures means the local community will experience less noise and disruption because fewer large machines will be needed on site.

Most of the Streethay cutting will now have sloping earth banks, which HS2 says will increase the opportunity for wildlife habitats and landscape planting while simultaneously improving the visual appearance of the site. The revised design also results in a shorter diversion of Fulfen Wood watercourse.

HS2 Senior Project Manager Simon Hinsley said: “We listened to the community back in 2017 and changed the design from viaduct to cutting. These further updates bring more benefits, both for the local community and the environment - better visuals, less carbon from concrete, shorter construction period, and more environmental features.”