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HS2 historical impact assessment project
PROJECT 2011-1 : IN PROGRESS SINCE MARCH 2011
AIM: To assess the impact of the proposed HS2 high-speed train link on the historic landscapes, towns and villages of Buckinghamshire.
PROJECT COORDINATOR: Marian Miller
- PROJECT ACTIVITIES IN 2011:
Surveys were conducted in Twyford, Chetwode and Potter Row
The Society's Response to the HS2 Consultation was sent on 22 July 2011. - 2012 ACTIVITIES:
Starting with an HS2 workshop in April, followed by surveys at Wendover and Doddershall. The society also wrote to MPs and Parish Councils, and responded to the HS2 Environmental Impact Asssesment Scoping Consultation. - 2013 ACTIVITIES:
Activities concentrated on three priorities: further research and surveying at Stoke Mandeville deserted village site, responding to official documents from HS2 Limited, and getting the results of our suveys on to the official agenda.
The planned route of the HS2 high-speed train link between London and Birmingham crosses Buckinghamshire from end to end,
crossing the historic landscapes of the Chilterns, the Vale of Aylesbury and the North Bucks villages.
The proposed line enters the county in the south near Denham, follows the Misbourne Valley through the Chilterns to Wendover, passes between Aylesbury and Hartwell House, leaving near Chetwode in the north.
The plans show that construction work for the line will cut through a whole range of historic sites and buildings in Bucks, including a section of the prehistoric Grim's Ditch, sites of known Roman interest and medieval farms. Many more, though not destroyed by the work, will be affected by the introduction of a 250mph rail line into their historic environment.
The HS2 plans have caused considerable controversy, ranging from support on economic grounds to opposition from environmental groups. In Buckinghamshire opposition is most vocal, including the Chiltern Society and the County Council, to name but two.
- For details of both sides, see our Pros and Cons page.
The aims of this project
The society's HS2 project, however, aims to focus on gathering evidence about the impact that the line would have on the county's historic environments. Whether this evidence would add to arguments for changes to the HS2 Plan, or be used to enable 'rescue' work before its construction, it is clear that without it we may never know the historic value of what might be lost.
The society's HS2 Historical Impact Assessment Project will therefore aim to:
- Identify sites, buildings and environments that are at risk.
- Survey key places along the route where the historical impact is likely to be high.
- Correct inaccuracies in the 'sustainability' case being made by HS2 Limited.
- Complement the environmental assessment being done by the county's Archaeological Service
Assessing the likely historic impact of HS2
To achieve these ends, the society has and is planning a series of activities along the line's the proposed route across Buckinghamshire.
- For details of these activities and their results, see the pages for
HS2 2011 activities,
HS2 2012 activities
and HS2 2013 activities, or eMail the project coordinator
Marian Miller.