Keir Starmer

HS2 Ltd has recently adopted plans to enable excavated material from the construction of the HS2 Euston Station to be moved by rail. These plans require the construction of rail infrastructure to enable a reduction of around 55,000 lorry movements from the Euston area.

HS2 Ltd has also considered opportunities for use of rail transport to take away excavated material from construction of the Euston approaches. This option was rejected on basis of the level of costs required to construct the rail infrastructure and provide and maintain the freight service compared to the limited amount of excavated material that could be removed.

As the design progresses, HS2 Ltd and its contractors are committed to realising further opportunities for the use of rail to transport construction materials to the Euston worksite and will continue to provide regular updates to stakeholders and the local community

In accordance with the HS2 Phase One Environmental Statement and assurances provided to Camden Council, HS2 Ltd has identified an option to maximise the movement of material by rail. In developing proposals with its contractors, HS2 Ltd has a regular dialogue with Camden Council through existing forums and with the local community through the Euston Community Representatives Group, which represents local groups and associations in the Camden area, in addition to making information available on its local ‘HS2 in Camden’ website.

The environmental effects of moving all of the excavated materials arising from the construction of the HS2 Euston Station and Euston Approaches by road was assessed and published in the HS2 Environmental Statement (2015) Additional Provision 3 (AP3). This includes likely significant effects of HGV movements on road traffic, air quality, noise and other relevant topics in accordance with Environmental Impact Assessment methodology.

https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/supplementary-environmental-statement-2-and-additional-provision-3-environmental-statement-supplementary-environmental-information

The financial circumstances of an applicant to the HS2 Need to Sell (NTS) scheme, or an immediate family member, would be examined only if relevant to an application.

The NTS scheme panel require a summary of an applicant’s compelling reason, or reasons, to sell with each element of their case being supported by documentary evidence.

The independent panel makes a recommendation to a member of the Senior Civil Service acting on behalf of the Secretary of State for Transport on whether to accept or reject an application made under the Need To Sell (NTS) scheme.

The panel is provided with guidance on the scheme and its criteria in order to ensure fair and consistent consideration of the documentary evidence supplied for each individual case.

HS2 Ltd’s NTS Secretariat provides support to the panel process, including informing the panel of any previous recommendations made that could be relevant to the case being discussed, in order to ensure consistency in the panel’s reasoning.

As confirmed in its response to the Phase 2b property scheme consultation, published in July 2017, the Government has concluded that publishing individual decisions would lead to an unacceptable risk of individual applicants being identifiable, even following redaction.

We are committed to keeping this area under review. We have made available more detailed guidance and statistics on compelling reasons to sell within successful and unsuccessful applications in order to better support applicants.

Guidance was republished on the Need To Sell (NTS) scheme in August 2017 in light of recommendations made by the House of Lords Select Committee. The guidance provides more detailed information on the types of compelling reasons applicants may have to sell their property, and examples of the documentary evidence that should be provided to support each element of their application.

The guidance has subsequently been reviewed on several occasions, most recently in June 2018, to ensure the scheme remains transparent and guidance is accessible.

Statistics are also published on examples of compelling reasons cited within unsuccessful and successful NTS applications which are available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/hs2-phase-one-exceptional-hardship-scheme-applications-statistics

Guidance issued to the independent panel which assess applications made under the HS2 Need to Sell scheme has been published and is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/568959/Need_to_sell_scheme_-_panel_guidancev.pdf

Information is only held in respect of Need to Sell (NTS) applications for each individual phase of HS2 without distinction as to whether a property is located in an urban or rural area. Information could not be provided without incurring disproportionate cost.

We also consider that disclosing low numbers of applications would identify individuals whose property was purchased under the NTS scheme and those applicants have an expectation that this information would remain confidential.

The objective of the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) is to add benefit over and above committed mitigation and statutory compensation to support local economies that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of HS2.

Organisations and groups are eligible to apply for funding if they are formally established for public benefit, are not-for-profit and can show that they meet the minimum requirements for safeguarding public money. Both statutory and non-statutory bodies may apply.

My officials meet regularly with HS2 Ltd, Groundwork UK and the Independent Chair of the BLEF to monitor progress and ensure its objective is being met. To this end, all elements of the Fund (including eligibility criteria) are kept under regular review.

The eligibility criteria for the Business and Local Economy Fund (BLEF) were established prior to the Fund’s launch in January 2017, following collaboration between officials at my Department, HS2 Ltd, Groundwork UK and the Independent Panel.

The criteria are based on best practice in the grant making sector and are designed to ensure the right balance has been set between safeguarding public funds and maximising the quality and quantity of applications in pursuit of the Fund’s objective: to add benefit over and above committed mitigation and statutory compensation to support local economies that are demonstrably disrupted by the construction of HS2.

The Department for Transport has no record of having received representations from (a) not-for-profit or (b) other organisations eligible to apply for the HS2 Business and Local Economy Fund on the eligibility criteria for that fund.

There have been ten applications to the HS2 Business and Local Economy Fund to date.

Of these, five are in the smaller category (£10,000-£75,000) and five are in the larger category (£75,001 and above). The larger category has a two stage process: Expression of Interest stage and Stage 2.

Of the five smaller applications, two have been approved (totalling £148,785), two are in the process of being assessed by Groundwork UK and one was unsuccessful. Of the five larger applications, one was encouraged through to Stage 2 of the process (i.e. invited to submit a full application), one is in the process of being assessed by Groundwork UK and three were unsuccessful.

HS2 Ltd are currently undertaking design and construction planning to identify and confirm volumes of excavated material that will be removed by rail and road from Euston station. Details are expected at the end of 2018.

HS2 Ltd are currently undertaking design and construction planning to identify and confirm volumes of excavated material that will be removed by rail and road from Euston station. Details are expected at the end of 2018.

HS2 Ltd are currently undertaking design and construction planning to identify and confirm volumes of excavated material that will be removed at Euston station. Current estimates are for some 1.1 million m3 to be removed from the Euston HS2 station (Stage A) and Euston approach. HS2 Ltd continue to develop the design to reduce the amount of excavated material that needs to leave the site.

The decision to pursue a two railhead solution was based on a detailed consideration of the environmental, socio-economic and value for money benefits of that option as compared to the value for money disbenefits of the option that included a third railhead. HS2 will, however, continue to seek ways to mitigate the construction programme impacts and to respond to feedback, which will include exploring, during the detailed design phase, additional and/or alternative opportunities to move material by rail including, but not limited to, the third railhead option.

The detailed timetable for this work is being developed with Network Rail. However, we would hope that it would be complete in early 2017. This work will be undertaken in close dialogue with the Greater London Authority, London Borough of Camden and Transport for London.

As set out in Information Paper E13 (Management of Traffic during Construction), HS2 Ltd has a policy of using rail to transport bulk excavated material over long distances, wherever reasonably practicable. In addition, the Secretary of State has provided an assurance to the London Borough of Camden and Transport for London to seek to maximise, as far as reasonably practicable, the movement of material by rail at Euston. A detailed study has been undertaken to explore how this could be achieved, which has highlighted a number of technical options which are currently being assessed with respect to the impact on passengers, the environmental and socio-economic impacts and impacts on the HS2 programme. An initial decision on how to proceed will be made following the completion of this assessment.

A decision is yet to be taken on Government support for or investment in Crossrail 2.

The current safeguarding direction represents the proposed route and includes an area north of the Euston Road, necessary if Crossrail 2 was to serve Euston Station.

The completion of work on High Speed 2 at Euston Station is not dependent on the construction of Crossrail 2.

HS2 property compensation schemes in urban areas already go well beyond what is required by law. There are no plans to extend the rural provisions to the London Borough of Camden or other parts of London.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill and a Supplementary Environmental Statement (SES2) on 16 September 2015. AP3 and SES2 include revised plans for London Euston station.

SES2 reports on the likely significant environmental effects of updated environmental information and changes that are new but within the powers already being sought under the Bill and within the limits described in it. Changes that go beyond the existing powers and limits described in the Bill are contained in AP3.

The purpose of SES2 however is not to consider objections to the proposed changes; these are considered through the relevant consultation and petitioning processes.

Terminating at Old Oak Common as an option was sifted out early in the decision making process for the London terminus given the weakness of the option, particularly in relation to its limited connectivity benefits. For this reason, the Government is not considering the option in any further detail and does not have cost estimates on a basis which would enable comparison with the preferred Euston terminus option. Euston is the best location for city centre connectivity and has the best onward transport connections to disperse passengers across London and it already has great London Underground connections on the Victoria and Northern lines and the Circle, Hammersmith & City and Metropolitan lines from Euston Square. The only way for onward travel from an Old Oak Common terminus would be Crossrail – any service interruption to Crossrail would potentially result in having to close HS2 as passengers would have no adequate alternative onward connection option. A Euston terminus is also essential for releasing capacity on the West Coast Mainline which is effectively full in terms of train paths.

In addition to not meeting our programme objectives, a terminus at Old Oak Common would still incur a number of significant costs. These include:

• Construction of a much larger HS2 station at the same depth as the Proposed Scheme (approximately 15m below ground level). A terminus station would need not only additional platforms but also additional servicing circulation and interchange facilities.
• Relocation of the Crossrail depot to the north of the station. No alternative location has been identified.
• It might be necessary to acquire properties in Hythe Road and divert the Grand Union Canal in order to provide sufficient space for the platforms and circulation around the station.
• A subterranean drive under tunnel to the west of the North London Line

Finally, it is worth noting that a very substantial part of the cost of the HS2 scheme at Euston is for Underground and other interchange facilities. These works will be necessary at some stage to serve the growing passenger demand at Euston that would occur irrespective of HS2.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1) and do not preclude wider redevelopment of the existing station in the future (Stage B2).

The redevelopment of the existing station (Stage B2) will be subject to separate planning and funding decisions that will be made at an appropriate point in the process. Network Rail is preparing plans for the feasibility work of this redevelopment which will be submitted as part of its Control Period 6 (CP6) submission (which covers the period 2019-2024). These plans will consider the impacts of all options for station redevelopment including level-deck and split-level concourses and will include an assessment of the effects of this redevelopment, including the potential effects on local residents, businesses and rail users. The process will start with the Initial Industry Plan which is anticipated to be published in September 2016.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1) and do not preclude wider redevelopment of the existing station in the future (Stage B2).

By concentrating construction on certain locations at a time, disruption to the area as a whole at any one time will be reduced and easier to mitigate. Construction of the original hybrid Bill proposal would have meant a far more intense period of disruption for the community.

In the Euston area, as with all affected areas, we will continue to look for ways to further reduce the level of disruption as part of the design development process.

The government’s proposals for statutory and discretionary compensation for the whole of the Phase One route were announced in the “HS2 property compensation consultation 2013 for the London to West Midlands route: decision document”, published 9 April 2014 and also the “Decision Document: Property Consultation 2014 for the London–West Midlands HS2 Route”, published 16 January 2015.

The High Speed Rail (Preparation) Act 2013 received Royal Assent inNovember 2013 and authorises the Secretary of State, with Treasury approval, to incur expenditure in preparation for a high speed railway transport network. Construction work will commence in 2017, with some enabling works planned for 2016, subject to necessary consents.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1). By concentrating on certain locations at a time, disruption to the area as a whole at any one time will be reduced and easier to mitigate. Construction of the hybrid Bill proposal would have meant a far more intense period of disruption for the community. In the Euston area, as with all affected areas, we will continue to look for ways to reduce the level of disruption through further design development.

The incremental strategy does not preclude wider redevelopment of the station in the future (Stage B2). This will be subject to separate planning and funding decisions that will be made at an appropriate part in the process. Network Rail is preparing plans for the feasibility work of this redevelopment which will be submitted as part of its Control Period 6 (CP6) submission (which covers the period 2019-2024). These plans will include an assessment of the effects of this redevelopment, including the potential effects on local residents, businesses and rail users.

The cost of mitigating the construction works impacts arising from changes to the hybrid Bill scheme for Euston introduced by AP3 and the budget for any additional statutory and discretionary compensation costs will be accommodated within the existing overall budget for Phase One of HS2.

We do not categorise applications for the Phase One Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS) or the Need to Sell (NTS) scheme by the applicant’s Community Forum Area. Nevertheless, from Holborn and St Pancras, we have received six Phase One EHS applications, including two reapplications. Two have been accepted, two were refused and two were withdrawn. Regarding the NTS, from Holborn and St Pancras we have received six applications, including one reapplication. Three have been accepted, two were declined and one is on hold.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1) and do not preclude wider redevelopment of the existing station in the future (Stage B2).

We have listened to train operators and worked very closely with them throughout the development of the new design. The staged approach will mean less disruption to passengers using existing train services and therefore compensation to train operators. We have made budget provision for a level of compensation to train operators as part of the overall Phase One rail budget. These allowances have still to be agreed with the relevant train operators and will be assessed further as part of the design development process. The information also remains commercially sensitive.

Any necessary impacts to the existing railway will be carefully planned with Network Rail and the affected operators from the outset, learning from experiences at other major stations such as Kings Cross and London Bridge.

HS2 Ltd deposited an Additional Provision (AP3) to the HS2 Phase One hybrid Bill on 16 September 2015 which includes revised plans for London Euston station. The new plans focus on an incremental strategy which will deliver new high speed platforms (Stages A and B1) and do not preclude wider redevelopment of the existing station in the future (Stage B2).

The new proposals for a phased approach to Euston station will be delivered within the existing budget for Phase One of HS2 of £21.4bn. Within this overall budget the estimated construction costs of our latest plan for Euston is £2.25bn.

It is not appropriate to provide a breakdown of the construction costs below this figure as this information is commercially sensitive and would compromise the forthcoming procurement process for these works.

We will continue to work with our contractors and the rail industry to find the most cost efficient way of delivering the project.

Virtually all the land compulsorily acquired for HS2 will be used permanently for the construction and operation of the new railway. Where land compulsorily acquired becomes surplus to requirements, in accordance with the Crichel Down Rules and subject to key Guiding Principles set out in the High Speed Two Information Paper - C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND, landowners may be offered the opportunity to buy back land, at market value. The future use of land returned to local authorities would therefore be a matter for them to decide.

High Speed Two Information Paper C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND attached.

A number of options for the London terminal station for HS2 were considered as part of a strategic assessment in 2009. This included terminating HS2 at Old Oak Common. Only options that were included in the final sift were subject to detailed evaluation including a cost assessment.

Early transport analysis found that the bulk of the demand for HS2 would come from the central, north and south of London which would be best served by a central London station. Given that, Old Oak Common would not deliver the same level of benefits as a central London station and it was not included as part of the final sift and was therefore not subject to a cost analysis.

Crossrail’s development is not impacting on existing retailers and traders in Tin Pan Alley. The site the Hon Member refers to is owned by another developer, Consolidated Developments.　 The buildings on Denmark Street are not required by Crossrail or London Underground for the upgrade of Tottenham Court Road station.　 Consolidated Developments acquired the site in 1996 and planning permission was granted by the London Borough of Camden in November 2013. Whilst the development site is situated adjacent to the London Underground / Crossrail worksite, the proposed development itself is a private venture and entirely separate from the Crossrail works.

Crossrail, in conjunction with TfL and Camden and Westminster Councils, is working to improve the urban realm around the eastern end of Oxford Circus.　 This includes a new piazza at St Giles Square that will re-establish the historic links between Oxford Street and Covent Garden as well as making it easier and safer for pedestrians to move into Dean Street and Soho Square.　 Crossrail is also bringing the first new West End theatre in over a decade to Soho and recently announced they have gained private sponsorship for the project’s art programme at Tottenham Court Road.

The Department does not currently hold information on the cost of the scheme in 2015 prices. Costs are consistently expressed in 2011 prices to aid transparency & comparability.

The Government will respond to the House of Lords Economic Affairs Committee's report “The Economics of High Speed 2” shortly. We are confident the case for HS2 is robust and look forward to clarifying the issues the Committee has raised.