HS2 has been told to publish regular reports on the status of its ground investigations in Cheshire, amid concerns from residents about the plan’s viability in difficult conditions.
A committee of MPs examining the draft law to approve phase 2b of the line between Crewe and Manchester highlighted a “legacy of mistrust” between the mega-project and local residents over construction risks.
The proposed route passes through an area of the Cheshire Plain noted for difficult soil conditions due to its salt content and history of salt mining.
Geologist and anti-HS2 campaigner Ros Todhunter was among those who warned the committee that conditions made the area prone to subsidence and questioned the suitability of HS2 being built at the location. He also asked whether the company was fully aware of the risks it faced.
HS2’s managing director for phase two, Tim Smart, told the committee that an extensive desktop survey had been carried out, as well as 487 interventions, through boreholes or other tests, as well as a physical geotechnical investigation.
But MPs said in a new report: “We note that there appears to be a legacy of mistrust among many petitioners and local residents as a result of the initial selection of the route and the perceived, if not actual, failure to recognize all the risks involved in building in this area.
“The promoter [HS2] obviously still has a way to go to reassure the local population that outstanding concerns have been reasonably considered and addressed. We don’t think it’s done yet.”
Despite accepting assurances from expert geotechnical engineer Lord Robert Mair that HS2’s work in the area had been “reasonable for this stage of a project of this type”, the lack of confidence local people have in the work meant the project needed to engage more with local people, the report said.
It told HS2 to produce regular reports on its investigations on the ground and make them public, as well as provide more information on what had already been carried out.
“These reports should be in a form that enables external experts or other interested parties to consider and analyze the information contained in a meaningful way, and include details of the type of investigations carried out, their location and relevance to the scheme, the results, a comment on what the results mean in relation to other investigations and the scheme as a whole, and an indication of any further action, investigations or mitigations required,” they said.
MPs also told HS2 to respond “voluntarily and in a timely manner” to requests for information about public inquiries and to appoint a point of contact for queries relating to ground conditions.
An HS2 spokesman said: “HS2 is fully aware of the ground conditions posed by salt deposits in the Cheshire Basin. The proposed route for the railway was in fact realigned in 2016 to avoid significant areas of salt.
“Comprehensive geophysical surveys, borehole field testing at over 350 sites and input from organizations including the British Geological Survey have helped inform our work and ensure there is a detailed process to understand the geological environment and associated risks.
“Further investigations will be carried out on the ground during the next phase of the program and we are committed to keeping communities informed in line with the select committee’s recommendation.”
