HS2 Phase 2a Select Committee: HS2 Assurance No.8 to NFU: Borrow Pit Review
This report from HS2 Ltd reviews the extent of land likely to be required for the borrow pits included within the Phase 2a scheme with the benefit of information from Preliminary Ground Investigations (PGI)
Documents
Details
In May 2018, HS2 Ltd, on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport, wrote to the National Farmers Union (NFU) to offer a number of assurances including one in relation to borrow pits – Assurance No.8, as follows:
‘Following the completion of preliminary Ground Investigation of the sites proposed under the Bill for development of Borrow Pits, but prior to the termination of proceedings on the Bill before the House of Commons Select Committee, the Promoter will publish a review of the extent of land likely to be required and in preparing the report the Promoter will consult with the NFU and those landowners on whose land the Borrow Pits are proposed to be developed.’
The purpose of this report is to set out the outcome of the review. A draft of the report was issued in February 2019 for consultation and was distributed to the NFU and those landowners on whose land the borrow pits are proposed to be developed.
This report includes:
- a description of each borrow pit, where the material extracted will be used and the source(s) of material that will be used to backfill each borrow pit. This section provides information on how the method of borrow pit operation will be approved and managed, including how the borrow pits might be screened to reduce visual and noise impacts during their operation;
- a description of the assumptions on the HS2 Phase 2a scheme minerals requirements and excavated materials management strategy (the earthworks strategy) have changed during design in the absence of borrow pits and major cutting specific ground investigation. It then goes on to describe the current assumptions on the HS2 Phase 2a scheme earthworks strategy (for AP2) informed by the PGI draft factual data;
- an update on borrow pit specific information based on the findings of the PGI draft factual data and related studies that have been published as part of AP2. The supporting information includes a summary of the geology at each borrow pit; and
- a discussion on borrow pit extents based on draft PGI results.