The HS2 Environmental Statement Consultation finishes today (Thursday) just before midnight. In true HS2 incompetence, we can’t even give you the precise time – the HS2 Ltd website says 11.59pm, but the consultation website on gov.uk says 11.45pm.
You can still use our form to respond to the consultation. This has space to add your local concerns.
To make things even easier, you can cut and paste the text below and email it to the consultation address HS2PhaseOneBillES@dialoguebydesign.com. Make sure you include your name and address.
RESPONSE TO THE PHASE 1 ENVIRONMENTAL STATEMENT CONSULTATION
NAME:
ADDRESS/POSTCODE:
This is my response to the HS2 Phase 1 Environmental Statement Consultation. I am opposed to the proposed HS2 rail project, partly because of the huge environmental costs of the proposed scheme.
These costs affect the environment in both urban and rural areas. They include loss of green spaces, hedgerows and woods, including irreplaceable ancient woodland which is by definition over 400 years old. They include the damaging effects on wildlife, including Barn Owls and the rare Bechstein Bats. They include increased noise and increased light pollution, especially in tranquil rural areas, as well as loss of amenities such as social housing in urban areas. The environmental costs do not just effect communities along the route, as HS2 Ltd’s own figures show it will cause increased carbon emissions until after 2086.
The costs of HS2 to both urban and rural communities and businesses are unacceptable, and the proposed mitigation in the Environmental Statement is wholly inadequate.
I am minded that there is a similarity between the matter of the Badger cull and the approach to the HS2 ES.
Most govt departments have Chief Scientific Advisors.
In addition there is the Government Chief Scientific Advisor to the PM.
I wonder what these scientists make of the HS2 ES and the research as science behind it.
No real word in the parliamentary and scientific committee that I can find on the environmental, health, noise,ecological aspects of this very expensive national HS2 ‘project’.
There has been a briefing to the parliamentary and scientific committee
WHY WOULD HS2 BE GOOD FOR BRITAIN?
http://www.scienceinparliament.org.uk/wp-content/uploads/2013/09/sip69-3-13.pdf
But nothing I can find on the real issues relating to power consumption, greenhouse gases and environmental damage.
This scheme is completely unnecessary, it is much better to improve and upgrade our existing railways than to build a white elephant of a HS2 which will destroy so much green space and blight so many people’s lives and properties.
You know, Anna, I have a sneaking feeling that somebody might have said this already…and would you believe it, an awful lot of renewal, refurbishment, and new links and redoubling projectsare in progress right now!
One might mention the Borders railway in Scotland, the recently completed Hitchen fly over, the almost total rebuild of Reading station, Crossrail, reportedly on time and on budget, which will link Shenfield in Essex and Dartford straight through (under) central London to Maidenhead and Heathrow, the new Oxford-Bicester-Marylebone route, part of Chiltern’s Evergreen project, an improved link between Coventry and Leamington- including a new station at Kenilworth (for Joe), the rest of the East West line, restoring and upgrading the North Cotswold line to Gloucester, upgrading the Midland mainline and electrifying it north of Bedford…not to mention electrification of the main lines out of Paddington to Bristol and South Wales…
There is a downside. Take the Oxford- Bicester line, for example. To enable a total rebuild, mostly double track, for the immediate future- the new Chiltern service to London- plus freight-(never mind future services to Milton Keynes and beyond) the whole line has had to be closed for over a year.
Similar lengthy closures have been necessary for the restoration of both the Cotswold lines, those through Kemble and through Moreton and Evesham.
These three examples were all cases where restored twin tracks could be reinstated within the existing boundaries, but the difficulties are much greater when it comes to expanding busier main lines or widening the trackbeds in urban areas to accommodate additional lines so as to increase capacity.
Just imagine the reaction in say, Great or Little Missenden or Amersham of “upgrading”, and ripping out the existing station buildings and expanding the area to accommodate four tracks , so as to cater for fast non stop traffic and stopping trains with at least the service frequency we have come to expect.
What needs to be campaigned for, with the west country floods fresh in the public memory’ is the need to safeguard and strengthen the rail link(s) to the South West and to learn that having “all your eggs in one (vulnerable) basket”, as demonstrated at Dawlish, is not wise.
* Just HOW much money did they say that the region was losing, each DAY, due to this break ?*
Please prepare and submit to the House of Commons Environmental Audit Committee EAC your concerns. You have until the 7th March 2014 to persuade the Environmental Audit Committee to listen where HS2 did not. You can put acoss the shortcomings in HS2 processes and systems and advise where there was not sufficient understanding in the ES and lack of the impacts being addressed.
The Environmental Audit Committee inquiry is requested to consider this statement from people suffering losses from HS2 and and answer the EAC questions:
1. The extent to which specific route-wide environmental impacts are adequately reflected and addressed in the Environmental Statement.
The following issues were not adequately reflected or addressed:
There was the need to reflect and address the wellbeing, health, human and environmental impacts. This composite set of factors are hinted at by HS2 in the Environmental Statement but not addressed thoroughly. Several amenities, all community amenities within the Route 3 corridor have been harmed and blighted by HS2. HS2 did not attempt to avoid damage to these community amenities. In Bucknghamhire in 2009 and 2010 the damage was not only obvious but during the period since late 2010 the extent of damage was deliberately increased followed by the proposal to convert an amenity into wetland and not into productive agricultural pastures. Similarly the football pitches used by schools and youth groups could be also productive pastures and not wetland.
There has not been the attempt to retain a way of life and enjoyment for people living within the Parish who enjoy and repeatedly make use of the amenities an facilities for recreation and for events.
Specifically including woodland and natural habitats are similarly threatened and will be damaged and
The soils across Buckinghamshire are mainly very heavy clays and also considering the following
air quality;
climate;
ecology; and
water resources and
flood risk;
community and
cultural heritage;
landscape and
visual aspect;
noise/vibration;
traffic and transport; and
waste and material resources.
2. The overarching systems and processes which will guide how environmental considerations are taken into account:
in the detailed routing of the track and
the use of local environmental protection measures
(but not examining the route itself).
Where did the systems and processes fail you and your community.
3. The arrangements for funding measures to protect
biodiversity or
to limit environmental impacts, and
any constraints on such funding.
4.How and where biodiversity offsetting will operate, and
any limits that will be put on such offsetting.
The EAC’s inquiry will not examine the overall economic case for HS2, nor decisions about the route or local environmental concerns about particular sections of the line (areas which the HS2 Hybrid Bill Committee will examine).but it can help you illustrate where HS2 have failed to be responsive and have proposed unacceptable damage to the environment and human life in you area unduly.