The Government has commissioned an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) before submitting a hybrid bill to Parliament to authorise construction of the Phase One route between London and the West Midlands.
The EIA process is designed to understand in detail the effects of the scheme on the environment along the route and identify measures to reduce or avoid these effects where possible.
It comprises a scoping stage (now completed), ongoing local engagement and the production of a report called an Environmental Statement, which will be deposited in Parliament with the hybrid bill.
Draft environmental statement
The Environmental Statement (ES) will describe the scheme, setting out the likely significant effects of the project on the environment and proposals to avoid, reduce or remedy effects that are identified.
We have now published a draft ES for consultation. You can read summary documents and technical reports by visiting our draft environmental statement section and find all the resources you need to respond to the consultation on the dedicated draft ES consultation page.
Timeline
| April 2012-May 2012 | Consultation on Draft Scope and Methodology document for the Environmental Impact Assessment |
| Spring 2012-Spring 2013 | Engagement programme for Phase One route as part of the Environmental Impact Assessment process |
| May 2013 - July 2013 | Consultation on the Draft Environmental Statement for Phase One |
EIA Engagement
Throughout the EIA process, HS2 Ltd will listen to the concerns of those who are likely to be affected by the HS2 London to West Midlands route.
We will inform the public about potential significant effects, listen to what people want in their community and discuss possible solutions that might avoid, reduce or remedy impacts. We will do this in a variety of ways, including setting up Community Forums.
Environment Forums
We have also established an environment forum at which non-Government organisations (NGOs) including the Campaign to Protect Rural England and the Campaign for Better Transport discuss and shape the development of our designs to ensure a sustainable approach to the project. A National Environment Forum has also been established to advise on environmental policy for the HS2 project.
Environmental Facts and Figures
HS2 will build on the best practice shown in HS1, the Olympics and Crossrail to minimise environmental impact during construction. The new network will see millions of air and road trips move to rail, reducing carbon emissions and congestion, and the space it will create for freight will move hundreds of HGVs per hour off the roads.
To find out more about the key facts and figures relating to HS2's sustainability and effect on the environment, visit our environmental Facts and Figures page.