What is Buckinghamshire Council doing on behalf of residents?

Buckinghamshire Council demand actions to repair the sinkhole at Little Missenden

After the appearance of the sinkhole at Little Missenden on 13 May 2023, Buckinghamshire Council held urgent meetings with HS2 Ltd. Leader of the Council, Cllr Martin Tett visited the site shortly after its appearance with the Deputy Leader, Cllr Gareth Williams, and one of the Council’s HS2 Marshalls, Steve Hall. They sought information on what had caused this large hole in the ground and what action was being proposed to repair it. Buckinghamshire Council has been working with HS2 Ltd and their contractor Align, since then to ensure that the damage is repaired and that actions are taken to prevent a similar event occurring in future.

This “ground movement” occurred after Cecilia, one of their tunnel boring machines (TBMs) needed to stop for some routine maintenance. Cecilia stopped on 9 May for some maintenance and then restarted on 12 May. She had a burst pipe so had to stop again later in the day for some further maintenance and repair. When she restarted on 13 July the sinkhole, which is approximately 6m in diameter and 5m deep, was spotted by HS2 Ltd’s surveying team. HS2 Ltd notified key stakeholders including the landowner and tenants, the Environment Agency (EA) and Affinity Water. As soon as the ground movement was reported HS2 Ltd fenced off the area with thick black tarpaulin to shield the hole and ensure public safety.

Cecilia had been working 30m below ground level in Shardeloes Park and Garden when she entered a dissolution feature and movement then occurred at the surface. Florence, the second TBM had already travelled through this area without incident. Both TBMs have now safely passed under the River Misbourne and the A413.

Once access arrangements are agreed with the landowner and tenant, HS2 Ltd’s contractor, Align, will carry out a photographic reconstruction survey of the whole route before remedial works begin and their environmental experts will check trees in the historic parkland to ensure that the access route from the temporary compound to the sinkhole avoids Root Protection Areas and that there is adequate separation from trees with nesting bats or owls, etc. All grazing stock will be moved prior to works and Align will provide traffic marshals for the duration of the works to manage vehicle movements and pedestrians on the public right of way.

The existing topsoil and subsoil material will be removed from the base of the sinkhole followed by a structural backfill of the area (approximately 150-200 cubic metres) to approximately 400mm below the existing ground level. Chalk material from one of the local vent shaft sites at Little Missenden or Amersham will be used for this.

Then secondary landscape remediation will follow between one to three months later once the ground has stabilised. The 400mm layer of subsoil and topsoil will be reinstated and tied into existing grassland and the whole area reseeded. The fence around the site will be retained until the grass establishes.

Align, forecast that the first stage remedial works will take approximately two weeks. The second stage will follow later and will take approximately one week. These works are intended to restore the landscape to how it was previously. Appropriate archaeological monitoring will also be conducted in consultation with Historic England, Buckinghamshire Council’s archaeologist and the Gardens Trust.

Align wish to carry out these works during the dry summer period, when the impact will be reduced, and are working with the landowners and other stakeholders to progress the works as soon as possible. There will be a partial road closure on Highmore Cottages and a partial inside lane closure on the A413 from 29 August to 8 September from 10am to 3pm for delivery of plant and materials to the site. Diversion signage will be in place to direct traffic via Taylors Lane and the public right of way will remain open with traffic marshalls to ensure public safety during working hours.

Buckinghamshire Council are working with HS2 Ltd to communicate to residents the impacts of the works to the Princess Risborough to Aylesbury Line

Buckinghamshire Council have been working with HS2 Ltd and their contractor, EKFB, to ensure that residents are fully informed about the works being carried out on the Princes Risborough to Aylesbury (PRA) rail line. EKFB will be constructing, moving, and commissioning a new rail line. The realignment, which is only about 20m from the original line, is integral to keeping the Network Rail line open as HS2 passes through. There work will require a 10-week closure of the PRA line, known as a blockade, whilst EKFB carry out their works. This is planned to be between Saturday 19 August and Monday 30 October 2023.

EKFB have agreed with Network Rail and Chiltern Railways to carry out the works within this 10-week period to shorten the period of disruption for all rail users and residents. This means that during this time there will be periods of 24 hour working, subject to consents, to allow the live railway to switch from the existing line onto the new track.

EKFB aim to complete the majority of the noisy 24 hour works during the school summer holidays, to take into account Booker Park School which is situated next to the railway line. This is a specialist SEND school which teaches an array of students with varying degrees of sensitivity to noise. For this reason, EKFB have agreed to reduce the disruption to pupils by limiting noisy works during their school hours 8.30am to 3.30pm. There will be some operational noise during the overnight works as well as tower lighting to allow work to be carried out safely during the night shift. EKFB have carried out some noise and vibration modelling on the planned activities and some properties located near-by may be impacted for short periods of time. EKFB are contacting residents of these houses separately.

Road users of North Lee Lane will have to follow a diversion route during the Marsh Lane crossing upgrade from the 18 August until spring 2024.

There will also be a traffic light-controlled HGV crossing point across the A418 Oxford Road from Tuesday 8 August to Friday 25 August 2023 from 8am to 6pm to facilitate the transport of essential aggregate materials to the PRA work site. These will be manually controlled by an operative on site to give priority to road users.

Footpath closures will be in place during the 10-week blockade to install a noise hoarding alongside the Princess Risborough to Aylesbury Line at the back of the Hawkslade estate. This will reduce the operational noise to properties close to the railway line during the works.

EKFB are planning to divert the current water main for Brook Farm away from the HS2 line and look to reconnect to an existing water main along Marsh Lane. Due to the nature of the works, there may be disruption to the local water supply and a road closure on Marsh Lane between 8am and 6pm Monday 21 August to Friday 25 August 2023. Safe access to properties along the road will be maintained via traffic lights.

Details of these closures and diversions can be found on the HS2 in your area webpage.

Network Rail also havea video explaining the works starting on 7 August.

To find out more about how these works may affect you, EKFB are running a series of community engagement events and online over the coming months. Details can be found on the HS2 Events web page.

You can also book a 20-minute virtual 1-1 on the PRA line works between 3pm-7pm from July to October.

Addressing residents’ concerns about HGVs on our highways

Our HS2 & EWR Marshalls Steve Hall and Mark Rann have been busy following up residents’ complaints about HS2 HGVs on our roads and have been able to report these instances to HS2 Ltd, which has resulted in warnings or formal notices being issued to individual drivers over the last few months.These include:

• Multiple HGVs parking on the carriageway at the junction of the A355 and Bottrells Lane, using the area as an unauthorised rest stop. A CCTV camera has now been installed here to deter further instances.
• HGVs travelling in excess in the 40mph limit on the A355 at Beaconsfield.
• HGVs driving side by side at 50mph all the way down the dual carriageway from Great Missenden to Amersham, causing a significant tail-back.
• Instances of vehicles travelling off their approved routes.

The Council’s Marshalls are out across the county every day and if you have concerns about any HS2 HGVs or issues you would like us to look in to, such as vehicles traveling off their approved route, driving standards, or excessive speeds, please let us know and we will investigate. We will need the location, date, time, and registration number of the vehicle or better still a photo (if it is safe to do so). You can contact us at: ewrandhs2enquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Buckinghamshire Council coordinated efforts for improvements to Nash Lee Lane following complaints from residents

In the first month following the opening of the realigned Nash Lee Road and Nash Lee Lane to accommodate HS2 construction, we received a variety of complaints from residents who expressed concerns regarding road safety. Additionally, there were two similar incidents just a few days apart, involving vehicles travelling at excessive speeds who both failed to stop at the end of Nash Lee Lane, resulting in crashes into the gardens of neighbouring properties. One of the residents shared his concerns on BBC Three Counties Radio and the incident was also published on the main BBC news website.

Following the incidents, we co-ordinated a meeting on site between officials from Buckinghamshire Council and EKFB with residents, plus representatives from both the Parish Council and the Wendover HS2 Mitigation Action Group. At that meeting residents shared their concerns about both the speed and volume of traffic using Nash Lee Lane, which was thought to be caused by motorists mistaking this for Nash Lee Road and therefore being unaware that Nash Lee Lane is a short road and also a cul-de-sac. As a result of this meeting a range of measures was agreed for implementation by EKFB which the residents thought were a good solution.

Within three weeks of the meeting all but one of the agreed 14 short/medium term measures agreed, had been implemented. There have not been any further incidents at this location.

HS2 Road Safety Fund update

The HS2 Road Safety Fund aims to provide a legacy of improved road safety for communities impacted by HS2 construction. The total fund for the project is £30 million with £3.95m allocated to Buckinghamshire Council.

Since the move to Buckinghamshire Highways in April, officers from Buckinghamshire Council and its new highways partners have been working together to progress the agreed Tranche 1 HS2 Road Safety Schemes. We expect these schemes to be delivered by the end of 2023. These include:

• During the Summer Holidays - the existing crossing outside Stoke Mandeville Combined School is being upgraded to a parallel crossing, accommodating cyclists as well as pedestrians. This will improve safety for pupils cycling to and from school.
• By the end of September - a range of traffic calming measures at Water Stratford and on School Hill, Charndon, together with the introduction of parking restrictions on Werner Terrace, Charndon will be completed.
• By the end of December, a further three schemes will be delivered, these are - Puffin Crossings outside Hyde Heath Infant School and over the A422 at Westbury, and a footpath at Ellesborough adjacent to the A4010, between the Fremantle Nursing Home and the petrol station at the junction with North Lee Lane.

Design work is currently underway on agreed Tranche 2 schemes, which include:

• Traffic calming measures at both Gawcott and Kingsey.
• Widening of the bell mouth of School Hill Charndon where it intersects with Perry Hill.
• Crossings outside Robertswood Primary School, Chalfont St Peter, and on the A418 at Wing.
• Raising of existing crossings at Chalfont St Giles.

Feasibility work is also taking place on potential footpath schemes at Ashendon and along the A355 between Longbottom Lane and Ledborough Lane.

The final tranche of the HS2 Road Safety Fund will be launched once all the Tranche 2 schemes are agreed and we know how much of the budget is left. This will be advertised in the local press, on our website and we will inform all members and parishes through our regular newsletters.

If you have any queries regarding the HS2 Road Safety Fund, please email: hs2roadsafetyfund@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

Details of all HS2 Road Safety Schemes delivered and those in the pipeline can be found on our website.

CCTV new locations and requests for future camera locations

Buckinghamshire Council has three mobile CCTV cameras to monitor which are used to monitor the impact of HS2 construction.

The CCTV cameras are currently located at:

• Location: A413 Great Missenden Link Road roundabout
• Reason for deployment: to review HS2 HGVs on roundabout and observe abnormal load movements

• Location: Bottrells Lane
• Reason for deployment: to observe any HS2 HGVs parking on the Bottrells Lane carriageway

• Location: A355 western side, south of the Maxwell Road junction, Beaconsfield
• Reason for deployment: to identify any HS2 HGVs using local roads rather than the new bypass

Any queries or concerns regarding the use of CCTV should be sent by email to EWRandHS2enquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

You can also propose a location which would benefit from the placement of a mobile CCTV camera using our online form below. Note that suggestions will only be considered where there is evidence of disruption caused by HS2 construction works. Suggest a camera location here.

HS2 Ltd Chief Executive resigns

Mark Thurston, HS2 Ltd’s Chief Executive announced his resignation in July after six and a half years of leading the high-speed rail organisation. Mark will leave in the autumn when Chairman, Jon Thompson, will step up as interim Chief Executive. Mr Thurston’s resignation comes at the height of the construction of Phase One of HS2, with major works taking place at more than 350 sites between London and the West Midlands.

Mark Thurston joined HS2 Ltd in March 2017, shortly before construction of Phase One of the high-speed railway began. During this time there has been a mobilisation of a 28,500 strong construction workforce and a variety of major UK and European contractors.

However, the project has also suffered series delays, cost increases and political pressure. There is speculation about the future of the project, as well as whether its scope, including the speed and frequency of trains it could accommodate will be watered down. The Government says it remains committed to delivering the high-speed railway, however on the 20 July the Infrastructure and Projects Authority published its annual report on major projects giving HS2 a red rating which implies that “Successful delivery of the project appears to be unachievable.” The rating means that there are “major issues with project definition, schedule, budget, quality and/or benefits delivery, which at this stage do not appear to be manageable or resolvable.” The IPA report said that “The project may need re-scoping and/or its overall viability reassessed.”

The London to Birmingham leg of HS2 was originally due to open in 2026, but is now expected between 2029 and 2033. The leg of the line to Leeds has been scrapped, replaced by a shorter high-speed line which will link Birmingham and East Midlands Parkway. In March, the government announced it was delaying the Birmingham to Crewe leg by two years to cut costs. Work at London Euston has also been paused for two years after costs increased from £2.6bn to £4.8bn.

An HS2 Ltd spokesperson said the priority now is to ensure that the initial high-speed services connecting Old Oak Common in west London and Birmingham Curzon Street are running by the current target of the early 2030s.

Announcing his resignation, Mr Thurston said “Leading this organisation has been the highlight of my career and a privilege from the first day – the programme has come such a long way and I want to thank everyone who has worked on the project during my time. The next 18-24 months will see the project move into an exciting new stage. I have agreed with the board that someone else should lead the organisation and programme through what will be another defining period for HS2.”

Transport Secretary, Mark Harper MP paid tribute to Mr Thurston who he credited with “successfully overseeing the start of construction and ensuring HS2 has created tens of thousands of skilled jobs and apprenticeships across the country.” He added “As HS2 enters its next phase, the government remains committed to unlocking all the benefits of this flagship infrastructure scheme – increasing rail capacity, connecting communities, and growing the economy."

HS2 community contributions in Buckinghamshire

HS2 Ltd and its contractors have a programme of community investment, supporting communities through volunteering, skills, and education, and working with parish councils and community groups along the line of the future railway through Buckinghamshire.

HS2Ltd’s contractors Align and EKFB, have supported a number of projects in Buckinghamshire by providing funding or volunteers. Recent projects included:

• EKFB supported the Buckingham Country Show event on 3 June by facilitating fencing, tower lights, welfare units, generators, and cones. They also contributed towards security costs. The organisers were able to raise £40K for charity and have thanked the EKFB team for the significant savings resulting from the donations.
• Chalfont St Giles Play Park was opened recently, having been designed with assistance from Align via community feedback, and based on the River Misbourne and the village footbridge.
• EKFB assisted the organisers of Twy-Fest with the donation of equipment to be used on the day. Tower lights increased security during the night events and HERAS fencing and cones helped segregate pedestrians from cars in the field during the day. A donation from EKFB also allowed the organisers to cover the costs of security personnel. The organisers said, “The support from EKFB played a large part in keeping our event safe for attendees and I am very happy to report that we had no safety related incidents at all - thank you again.”
• Align donated refreshments and snacks for Carers Week, at the Epilepsy Centre in Chalfont St Peter for those supporting the centre and its residents.
• Fifteen volunteers from EKFB & HS2 attended Lindengate in Wendover and completed many tasks on the six-acre site. These included weeding around one of the many ponds, turning compost, re-barking the footpaths, planting, and transporting shingle around the site to improve drainage.
• EKFB have sponsored the Le Grande Tour, organised by the PACE Centre in Aylesbury, supporting babies and toddlers with cerebral palsy. A team from their Aylesbury construction site also participated in the 300-mile challenge.
• Align and EKFB are working with the Great Missenden Walled Garden assisting with utilities surveys on site, leading to the installation of a new polytunnel.
• There have also been donations of woodchip/topsoil to local schools, litter picks, foodbank donations and the purchase of tickets for local schoolchildren to attend Claydon house for the Summer Ballet.
• Three engineers from EKFB visited Chesham Grammar School on the morning of 12 July to participate in a STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) morning for year 8 students. Sophie Henderson, Joe Marsh, and Tom Kelly ran workshops on designing and building bridges.

If you have a local project or community initiative that you think HS2 Ltd might be able to help with please get in touch with them through the HS2 Helpdesk or giving them a call on 08081 434 434.

HS2 Ongoing Work

You can see the work that is taking place in Buckinghamshire on the HS2 website,‘In Your Area’ section, (Buckinghamshire and Oxfordshire) and sign up for automatic alerts. HS2 Ltd or contractors are committed to sending out Advanced Warning Notices 2 weeks ahead of works commencing.

Works in Buckinghamshire

I have listed some of the main works in the table below (please note this is not a comprehensive list):

HS2 Forthcoming Works Packages for submission to Buckinghamshire Council

Schedule 17 of the HS2 Act puts in place a process for the approval of certain matters relating to the design and construction of the railway, which requires that the nominated undertaker (HS2 Ltd and its contractors) must seek approval of these matters from the relevant planning authority. As deemed planning permission has been granted by the Act, requests for approval under Schedule 17 are not planning applications and there are few grounds on which the Council can refuse.

Buckinghamshire Council have recently received quite a long list of forthcoming works packages from HS2. You can view these at the HS2 Forthcoming Works Packages for submission to Buckinghamshire Council website.

Buckinghamshire Council HS2 coordination team

To contact the HS2 Community Engagement Officers and the HS2 Marshals please email: EWRANDHS2enquiries@buckinghamshire.gov.uk

HS2 Ltd Helpdesk and Mobile Visitor Centre

Emailto HS2Enquiries at HS2enquiries@hs2.org.uk

Freephone 08081 434 434

Minicom (used to help people with hearing or speech difficulties) 08081 456 472

Post to FREEPOST, HS2 Community Hub

Upcoming Mobile Visitor Centre and Drop In Events Dates and Locations

• 14 August: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Chalfont St Giles, Memorial Hall, School Lane, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JJ
• 15 August: 10.00am-3.00pm. Hawkslade Community Centre, Orwell Drive, Aylesbury, HP21 9JL
• 22 August: 10.00am-3.00pm. Hawkslade Community Centre, Orwell Drive, Aylesbury, HP21 9JL
• 31 August: 8am-6pm. Bucks County Show, Weedon Park, Aylesbury, HP22 4NN
• 5 September: 10.00pm-3.00pm. Manor Waste, Wendover HP22 6EA
• 14 September: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Great Missenden Memorial Hall, Link Road, Great Missenden HP16 9AE
• 14 September: 2.00pm-6.00pm. Hawkslade Community Centre, Orwell Drive, Aylesbury, HP21 9JL

• 27 September: 10.00am-3.00pm. Ellesborough Parish Hall, Ellesborough Road, Butler’s Cross, Aylesbury HP17 0XA
• 10 October: 4.00pm-6.00pm. Chesham Town Hall, Parsonage Lane, Chesham, HP5 1EP
• 10 October: 2.00pm-6.00pm. Eskdale Community Centre, Eskdale Road, Stoke Mandeville HP22 5UJ
• 16 October: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Amersham Free Church, Woodside Road, Amersham, HP6 6AJ
• 16 November: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Chalfont St Giles, Memorial Hall, School Lane, Chalfont St Giles HP8 4JJ
• 7 December: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Great Missenden Memorial Hall, Link Road, Great Missenden HP16 9AE
• 14 December: 3.00pm-7.00pm. Kings Church, Raans Road, Amersham, HP16 6LX

Pre-booking is not required to visit the HS2 Mobile Visitor Centre, and people are free to drop in at any time. Please check the dates on the HS2 events page before attending in case of any changes. Future dates will be advertised on HS2 events.