HS2 in Camden – Key information

These look aheads provide you with information about HS2 works and developments taking place in Camden.

This section provides you with information about HS2 works and developments taking place in Camden, and how we’re managing the impacts of construction.

The Euston Community Representatives Group (ECRG) meets to discuss proposals for the planned construction of HS2’s terminus station in Euston as well as the ongoing redevelopment of the surrounding area. It is made up of representatives from six adjacent community areas, HS2, Network Rail, Camden Council and other stakeholders.

The six community areas represented on ECRG are Regents Park Estate, Somers Town, Ampthill Square Estate and Hampstead Road bridge, Drummond Street and Stephenson Way, Camden Cutting, including Mornington Crescent and Parkway.

The ECRG is one of many ways HS2 engages with the community about the planned redevelopment of Euston area.

The meeting dates for 2025 are Tuesday 18 March, Thursday 12 June, Tuesday 23 September, and Thursday 27 November. The meetings will be held in person and online from 5pm to 7pm in Wesley Hotel, Euston Street. If you wish to have materials for past meetings please contact our helpdesk.

HS2 works in Camden have affected trees in several locations including St James’s Gardens, Euston Square Gardens and numerous roads within the borough. We recognise that many of the trees we need to remove are established mature trees which cannot be fully replaced.

How we’re protecting and replacing trees

We understand the importance of trees to residents in Camden. We’ll do everything we reasonably can to reduce the impact on trees and to keep trees in the borough where possible.

This includes:

• planning construction works so we can keep trees for as long as possible, and
• providing replacement trees to help make up for the loss of each tree removed because of HS2 works.

Our commitment to Camden Council

During the select committee process, we gave an assurance to Camden Council. We agreed to fund Camden Council to plant replacement trees in appropriate locations in the borough. Read the full terms of the assurance in the register of undertakings and assurances on the government’s website.

Trees planted so far

To help make up for the loss of trees related to the project, we’ve funded Camden Council to plant 138 replacement trees so far. Read full details of the London Borough of Camden’s tree planting project on their website. View a map of trees planted on Camden Council land.

The Camden Tree Panel

We’ve set up the Camden Tree Panel. The tree panel reviews and challenges the removal of, and works to, any tree in the London Borough of Camden undertaken by our contractors. We will not remove trees, or do works to them, unless they’ve been reviewed and accepted by the tree panel.

Tree Panel meeting outcomes

Below is a list of the outcomes from tree panel meetings from June 2022 where works to trees or tree removals have been agreed. If you want to look at the outcomes of a tree panel meeting held before the ones listed below, please contact our helpdesk.

Construction can affect air quality. Exhaust fumes from construction vehicles and busier roads from closures and diversions can reduce air quality.

We’re working to reduce traffic impact on the local community. We’re also monitoring air quality in the wider Euston area.

How we’re reducing traffic impact

We’re taking several steps to reduce traffic impact and improve air quality:

• Our contractors’ vehicles must meet strict emissions criteria.
• Construction machinery like excavators, large cranes and piling machines must meet emissions criteria.
• We’ve set up a traffic liaison group with Camden Council and emergency services.
• We’re using designated lorry routes on A roads where possible and avoiding local roads.
• Camden Council must approve routes for large goods vehicles where there are more than 24 large goods vehicle movements per day to or from a compound.
• We’re producing local traffic management plans with Camden Council, Transport for London (TfL) and emergency services before work starts.
• Lorry drivers must be trained in reducing emissions as part of their Certificate of Professional Competency training while on the project.
• Construction vehicles must use a booking management system to smooth traffic flow and prevent queuing on the road.

How we’re measuring air quality

We and our contractors monitor air quality and dust. We produce monthly reports to comply with the Code of Construction Practice (CoCP).

These reports present the monthly air quality monitoring for HS2 within local authorities along the Phase One route.

The reports contain:

• monitoring data and results
• a summary of construction activities
• any complaints received
• data recorded over the monitoring period
• any periods where agreed trigger levels were exceeded
• results of any investigations, and
• where HS2 works caused the issue, any action taken to resolve it and prevent it happening again.

Air quality monitoring in Camden

In Camden, we’re monitoring nitrogen dioxide at 67 locations using diffusion tubes. Air quality monitoring began in summer 2016 to establish a baseline. It will continue during construction for as long as necessary to manage significant effects.

We’re using continuous monitors to measure construction dust (as particulate matter PM10). This helps us manage dust during construction and make sure we have appropriate measures in place.

Noise insulation in Camden

Construction work for HS2 will create noise and vibration. This may affect you if you live near a worksite.

We’ll design and build HS2 in ways that reduce noise as much as we reasonably can. Where construction noise is still likely to affect you in your home, we may offer to install noise insulation for you or pay for you to install it yourself.

Listed buildings

We’re surveying listed buildings at Euston to prepare consent applications. These additional consents are only needed for listed buildings – those protected by law because of their heritage or architectural interest.

Construction noise and vibration monitoring

These reports show the monthly construction noise and vibration monitoring for HS2 within local authorities along the Phase One route.

What the reports contain

The reports contain:

• monitoring data and results
• a summary of construction activities
• any complaints received
• data recorded over the monitoring period
• any periods where agreed trigger levels were exceeded
• results of any investigations, and
• where HS2 works caused the issue, any action taken to resolve it and prevent it happening again.

Read our monitoring reports published on the GOV website

Camden Council approved our plans in November 2021 to create a temporary site office and welfare facility on the former Maria Fidelis school site on North Gower Street and Starcross Street.

The building provides office and welfare facilities for our staff and our main works contractor, Mace Dragados joint venture. It also houses the Euston Skills Centre.

This follows years of work developing plans to use this site to benefit both the community and HS2 while we build the new station. We’ve engaged extensively with the public during this time and incorporated feedback into the design where possible.

Office and welfare facility

Work on site started in December 2021. This included foundation works, concrete and steel works, drainage and utilities, and installing a new electricity substation. We also fitted out the building.

The building opened in spring 2024. It provides office and welfare facilities for our staff and Mace Dragados joint venture.

Euston Skills Centre

The Euston Skills Centre opened in January 2024. We built it and part-fund its operation.

Camden Council hosted a launch event celebrating the new facility. It provides skills training to students from the local area and will help with workforce requirements for infrastructure and housing in Camden, as well as large national projects like HS2.

The centre is located on the site of the former Maria Fidelis school overlooking the HS2 station site. Students benefit from being close to the HS2 project. Mace Dragados joint venture has left some utility services and systems exposed nearby, which act as a learning aid for students.

We’ve made £4.1 million available for the Euston Skills Centre, covering both construction and operation. Mace Dragados joint venture completed the construction. The centre spans two floors with a mix of workshops and classrooms.

Euston Community Hub

We opened a community hub and information point in spring 2025 in a ceremony attended by the Leader of Camden Council, residents and community organisations.

The Euston Community Hub is on the ground floor of the former Maria Fidelis school on North Gower Street. The Euston Partnership established it – a collection of organisations working together on redeveloping the Euston area.

The hub provides space for community organisations and public service providers to run various programmes and community-led activities.

It also provides free space for additional community services supporting older residents through the Third Age Project, and families with young children through the Regent’s Park Timebank. You can find more information about the programmes at discovereuston.org.uk.

The hub also serves as a central information point for residents and passengers. It provides regular updates and engagement opportunities about plans to redevelop Euston, including the new HS2 station.

Neighbourhood Makeshop

The Neighbourhood Makeshop is managed by Old Diorama Arts Centre in partnership with Camden People’s Theatre. It’s supported by Community Champions Regent’s Park and Hopscotch.

The Makeshop is in the annex of the former Maria Fidelis school. It’s a flexible space for hands-on community and artistic making – a ‘messy creative space’ to complement Old Diorama Arts Centre’s main premises. It works as a practical extension to their new Neighbourhood Studio for community meetings and projects.

The Euston Partnership, Mace Dragados joint venture, and Camden Council made the space possible.

The Euston approaches is the section of the HS2 railway located between Parkway and Hampstead Road in the London Borough of Camden. This critical stretch of infrastructure connects the Euston Tunnels beneath the A4201 Parkway to Euston Station.

The tunnels in this area will pass beneath the existing railway network, with one tunnel branching into two, resulting in a total of three tunnels. The high-speed trains will emerge into a partially below-ground concrete box, gradually rising to ground level at the Euston Throat.

This section is being constructed by the Main Works Contractor, a joint venture of Skanska, Costain, and Strabag (SCSJV).

Information on our works in Euston Approaches in general can be found on Works in Euston Approaches. This includes regularly updated map, construction updates and answers to frequently asked questions as well as other useful materials.

Euston Portal headhouse

We’re building eight headhouses in London to support the high-speed railway. These headhouses sit above shafts, which ventilate the tunnels for the railway and provide emergency access.

Of the eight, the Euston portal headhouse will be closest to Euston station at the entrance to the Euston tunnel. It will contain lifts, mechanical and electrical equipment. In the event of an emergency, it will provide access to and from the track.

The Euston portal headhouse will be located along Park Village East, south of Mornington Street bridge in Camden. It is inspired by the local area in which it sits. The surrounding area has a diverse mix of buildings from across different eras, from Victorian to post-war styles.

Whilst options for the delivery of Euston are explored following the Government’s Network North announcement, HS2 Ltd continues to complete enabling works across the HS2 site to prepare for a future station and HS2 terminus. This includes some utility works around Euston Station, and on Hampstead Road and Regents Park Estate.

Find out more about the works.

The Euston tunnel will carry high-speed trains between London Euston station and Old Oak Common station. The 4.5-mile (7.2km) twin-bore tunnel will reach depths of up to 50 metres below ground. It will be excavated using two tunnel boring machines (TBMs), Karen and Madeleine, which will be launched from the eastern section of Old Oak Common station.

Adelaide Road ventilation shaft

We’re building eight ventilation shafts in London to support the high-speed railway. These shafts ventilate the tunnels for the railway and provide emergency access. The Adelaide Road ventilation shaft will connect to the Euston approaches to Northolt tunnels. Above each ventilation shaft will be a headhouse, including one at Adelaide Road.

The Adelaide Road headhouse will be in Camden, between Chalk Farm and Primrose Hill Road. It is in the Network Rail embankment area opposite the junction with Eton Road and next to the Adelaide Nature Reserve.

The headhouse will be a two-storey building from the railway side. We are planning to use similar materials at all headhouses between Euston and West Ruislip. The materials have been chosen according to the local environment, moving from brick through metal and towards wood as we move between rural and urban locations.

Our landscape plan considers local ecology and the vegetation requirements for a site next to a live railway. Our landscape design includes block paving and trees and scrub habitat planting. We’re also planning to install a green roof on the headhouse buildings.

Canterbury Works headhouse

We’re building eight ventilation (vent) shafts in London to support the high-speed railway. These vent shafts ventilate the tunnels for the railway and provide emergency access. The Canterbury Works vent shaft will connect to the Euston Approaches to Northolt Tunnels. Above each vent shaft will be a headhouse, including one at Canterbury Road.

The Canterbury Works headhouse is located in South Kilburn, behind Canterbury Road and Canterbury Terrace and next to the existing railway tracks.

The site sits within residential areas to the west and south. Locally listed Canterbury House is to the south and St Mary’s Catholic Primary School is to the east.

After consulting the local community on the designs of the future Canterbury Works Headhouse, we have reduced the size of the vertical vent stacks to the minimum required dimensions and height. We also reduced the size of the chimneys.

Settlement is the technical term for the way ground moves around a hole after it’s been dug out.

A settlement deed is a formal legal agreement between you and us. It records the protection your property already has under the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017.