HS2—IWA want canals treated as housing for noise!

A VERY strange request giving to the proposed High Speed Railway (HS2) Select Committee by the Inland Waterways Association (IWA) who want the canals treated as housing for noise.

On noise generally, IWA is pressing for the special nature of the waterways to be protected by requesting that they are considered in the same way as residential areas with regard to noise mitigation.

Canals screened

This is not just where there are resident moorings, but for the waterways generally, even where there are no moorings whatsoever, the Association wants the canals screened for noise as it would be when passing houses and housing estates.

It was yesterday, Thursday, that the Canal & River Trust and IWA gave evidence to the HS2 Select Committee in Parliament on the potential impact of the high speed rail link on the country's waterways.

Concerns

Marcus Chaloner, the Trust's National Design Manager, and IWA's Gren Messham separately briefed the cross-bench committee of MPs on the organisations' concerns about HS2 plans in the vicinity of the waterways, and improvements to protect the attractiveness and historic character of the canals.

Issues raised by the organisations focused on the proposed canal crossing at Curdworth, the impact of HS2 generated noise and the noise and visual intrusion created by the proposed alignment of Wood End Lane on the Trent & Mersey Canal near Fradley.

Modify its designs

The Trust and IWA are calling on HS2 to modify its design of the proposed viaduct and surrounding infrastructure at Curdworth to protect the popular and historic canal location and better meet the Knight Architect's report HS2 Design Principles for Waterway Crossings.

Now closer

At Fradley near Lichfield, the reduction in HS2's impact on the Trent & Mersey Canal by moving three of the four proposed rail crossings south of the canal has been offset by routing Wood End Lane much closer to the canal. IWA are asking the Select Committee to recommend that HS2 and the highway authority work with other petitioners to agree a better route for the road that runs south of the railways.

The Trust and IWA hope that the Select Committee will recommend that the requests of the two organisations are incorporated into the final design of the HS2 project.

Work starts during 2017

Following completion of the current appearances by petitioners in front of the HS2 Select Committee, the next stage will be for any changes to be incorporated into the Bill before it moves into the House of Lords, with Royal Assent anticipated at the end of 2016. Works are due to start some time during 2017.

A spokesman for the Trust tells us:

"Since the High Speed Rail project was announced in 2012, the Canal & River Trust and The Inland Waterway Association have worked closely with canal societies, the Government and HS2 Ltd to protect the waterways and improve the HS2 rail link.

This has resulted in significant changes to the scheme, leading both to cost savings and environmental benefits. The decision in 2014 to realign the rail route to avoid the Fradley Junction area of the Trent & Mersey Canal was an example of this success."

Ends