Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what assessment he has made of the feasibility of redeveloping the eastern side of Euston station at a level deck with the High Speed 2 once HS2 Ltd has reduced the number of classic platforms by five in construction stage B1; and what assessment he has made of the effect on (a) local residents and businesses and (b) existing rail users of treating this project as a separate scheme from the construction of the High Speed 2 station at Euston.

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.