Category Archives: Issues

HS2 tunnel spoil plans

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FROM HS2

We’re writing to let you know about some planned works that we will be carrying out in the Harvil Road area.

From 1 December 2022 to April 2023, we will begin to store TBM materials on the southern area of the Copthall Covert within our site boundary at Gate 1 on Harvil Road.

We will store and treat the soil that will be removed from the tunnels before they are placed in their final destination.

For further information please see our works notification update. https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/tbm-material-storage-on-harvil-road/

We would like to apologise in advance for any disruption or inconvenience this may cause. Every effort is being taken to ensure that these works are carried out in the least impactful way.

We will ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Be warned of dodgy activity on your property records

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An interesting extract from a recent Neighbourhood Watch notification:

… some doorstep fraudsters are attempting to get elderly residents to sign their property over to them.

Did you know that the Land Registry provides a FREE alert service to give you an immediate email alert if official searches and applications are received against a monitored property?  This can give early warning that identity theft is in play using your stolen details.  Identity theft can take place as a result of details taken from your unshredded recycling, or from a hacked online shopping site where you hold an account, for example.

Full details and how to sign up can be found at the Land Registry website here:

Land Registry Property Alerts

You could also consider signing up for a Land Registry alert for the property of an elderly relative.

Tunnel segment deliveries to West Ruislip 24/7

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from HS2

HS2 Works Notification: Update: Tunnel segment deliveries to West Ruislip 24 hours a day, 7 days a week

We’re writing to let you know about some planned works that we will be carrying out in your area.

We wrote to you recently to let you know about the launch of the newly assembled Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) at the West Ruislip Portal site.

Both TBMs have now launched and are working their way towards Greenpark Way (Ealing), which we expect them to get there in June 2024.

With the TBMs now fully operational, we need to increase the deliveries of tunnel segments to the West Ruislip site. This will mean deliveries at night as well as during the day from Thursday 10 November onwards.

For further information please see our works notification. https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/update-tunnel-segment-deliveries-to-west-ruislip-24-hours-a-day-7-days-a-week/

Duration of works
Late September 2022 to June 2024
The tunnelling and site support activities will be 24/7
Deliveries of the tunnel segments will increase to 24/7

What to expect
Increase of staff on site outside core hours
Activities associated with the tunnelling work, including removal of
excavated material, supply of materials and maintenance of tunnelling equipment

What we will do
Advise our staff to be mindful of our neighbours

Strike action this Thursday

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From TfL:

Strike action is planned to take place on Thursday 10 November which will severely impact Tube services.

Customers should avoid travelling on the Tube as we expect limited or no service.

London Overground and DLR services may be subject to last-minute changes, including non-stopping at some stations shared with London Underground. All other services on the network including buses and the Elizabeth line will run but may be extremely busy.

Disruption will continue into the morning of Friday 11 November, with affected services expected to return to a normal service by mid-morning.

Visit our strike page for more information. https://tfl.gov.uk/campaign/strikes?cid=email_FINAL_TFL974_Tube_strike_reminder-visit+our+strike+page

If travelling on these days, plan ahead, check before you travel and leave more time for your journey. Our Journey Planner and TfL Go app can help you plan your journey as required.

We encourage customers to take appropriate action to keep themselves safe, including wearing face coverings, if it helps you travel with confidence.

Police, women and safety

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On Saturday 12th November 2022, there will be a Walk and Talk Activity nearby the pond in Swakeley’s Park, Ickenham, UB10 8SH between 3-4PM. [Looks like the Swakeley’s Drive end – Ed.]

The Walk and Talk initiative involves female officers buddying up with women from their communities to go out on patrol in open spaces so that they can hear first-hand their experiences, concerns and reflections.

The aim of the walkabout is to start a conversation between female residents and their local female Police officers about their safety concerns and what police can do, working with partners, to address them. We look forward to meeting you there!

Harvil Road lane closure

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from HS2

HS2 Works Notification: Update on utility and construction works on Harvil Road

We’re writing to let you know about some planned works that we will be carrying out in your area.

In August we wrote to you to let you know that we plan to complete major utility diversion works and realign a section of Harvil Road from 30 August 2022 to 5 September 2023.

We need to carry out some additional work during the school half term, from 24 to 29 October 2022. We will relocate one of our site entrances to help facilitate the Harvil Road realignment.

These works will require a lane closure.

For further information please see our update works notification.

https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/update-on-utility-and-construction-works-on-harvil-road/

We would like to apologise in advance for the disruption or inconvenience this may cause. Every effort is being taken to ensure that these works are carried out in the least impactful way.

We will ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Your utility services will not be affected.

HS2 face-to-face 4-7pm tomorrow

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From Brian Adams (our HS2 lead):

You may be impacted by the noise and pollution from the dumping of tunnel spoil in the fields between Harvil Road and Breakspear Road South – this is yet to start and will take up to three years with tens of thousands of HGV movements.

You may be impacted by the movement of the spoil from West Ruislip to the fields above. They will be using conveyors systems 24/7 for up to three years

You may be impacted by lane and road closures planned by HS2 over the next few years

You may be impacted by HS2’s plans to bring the tunnel segments using large flatbed lorries through Ickenham village……..until the rail siding are completed at West Ruislip.

If you are interested in what HS2 and its contractors are doing in Ickenham for the next few years please go along to the United Reform Church tomorrow 18th October between 16.00 and 19.00.

You will find a list of some questions, you may wish to ask, in our previous post on the subject.

HS2 face-to-face 4-7pm 18 October

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Community event at Ickenham United Reformed Church

(Please see our local HS2 groups comments below this invite from HS2.)

From HS2 

We would like to invite you to a community information event on Tuesday 18 October 2022 from 4pm to 7pm at Ickenham United Reformed Church. Please come along to discuss our works with our local engagement team and specialists, and to find out more about:

• Plans for the land between Harvil Road and Breakspear Road South
• Tunnelling works
• Work around the West Ruislip portal  

You can drop in anytime between 4 and 7pm. 

We look forward to seeing you there.

We will be observing social distancing and may choose to wear facemasks during this engagement event. 

Our comments / notes

Re HS2 WORKS IN FIELDS BETWEEN HARVIL AND BREAKSPEAR ROAD SOUTH
 
Many residents in roads around these fields have been questioning what is taking place in these fields.
We have known since 2013 that HS2 planned  to use this agricultural  land to dump the spoil from the tunnels being created from West Ruislip towards London.

In our petitioning to the Houses of Parliament we tried to get this changed and offered alternative solutions but we were not successful.

The reality is that the works are just starting and we have several years of noise and pollution as thousands of HGVs will be driving back and forth with the spoil creating mounds up to 6 metres high.

To get the spoil to the fields there will be a conveyor system from West Ruislip which will run 24 hours/ 7 days a week. The impact will therefore be felt by many residents.

We have requested HS2/SCS the contractor to run an event in the village so that residents can get an understanding of what is happening, what are the short and long term plans and what mitigation is being put in place. This is now happening October 18 in United Reform Church between 16.00 and 19.00

Please go along and make the representatives aware of the issues you are experiencing or foresee.

We have listed below some questions you may wish to ask:

Dumping:
What is happening now?
What is happening next and all future phases ?
How long will this dumping take place?
How many HGV movements will take place?
What are working hours ?
What is in place to reduce noise and pollution?
What if the noise is intolerable…what can a resident do ?
What is the flood risk from 6 metre high clay mounds?
What happens to the fields when the dumping is finished ?
Who is responsible in the future if there are floods or earth slippages ?
 
Conveyor Systems
What will the noise impact be during the day and during the night ?
Who will be most impacted (e.g. Greenway/Hoylake Crescent/Copthall Road West) by noise ?
What are the dust pollution measures ?
What if systems fail ?
 

West Ruislip pedestrian lights 1-2 Oct

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from HS2

HS2 Works Notification: Traffic light repair on High Road Ickenham

We’re writing to let you know about some planned works that we will be carrying out in your area. 

From 7am on Saturday 1 October to 6pm on Sunday 2 October, we will carry out essential repairs to the traffic lights at the pedestrian crossing opposite the West Ruislip Station entrance.

To ensure these works can be carried out safely, the pedestrian crossing will be closed throughout and the lanes on the High Road will be narrowed.

A temporary pedestrian crossing will be in place on Ickenham Road near the HS2 site compound entrance. The cycle lane and bus stop will be maintained throughout.

We would like to apologise in advance for any disruption or inconvenience this may cause. Every effort is being taken to ensure that these works are carried out in the least impactful way.

We will ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Tunnel Boring Machine gets to work

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FROM HS2

What we are doing
We wrote to you recently to inform you that our newly assembled Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) at the West Ruislip Portal site would cut up to one metre into the concrete wall ahead of it on Tuesday 30 August.
We are now ready to launch our first TBM this month on its journey towards Greenpark Way (Ealing) which will last until June 2024.

What to expect
From late September 2022 to June 2024, we will be undertaking tunnelling works. We anticipate our second TBM will be launched in late October 2022.
Once launched, the TBM will require the following support activities at the West Ruislip Portal site. You may hear some different noises from our site as a result of these activities, but we will ensure that we adhere to the agreed working hours, noise and vibration limits set by the London Borough of Hillingdon. To minimise noise, acoustic screens and tents will be used.

Tunnel segments
The TBM operates as a self-contained underground factory – digging the tunnel, lining it with concrete wall segments and putting them into place. The segments will initially be delivered by road and stored on site. Two gantry cranes will lift the segments onto the multipurpose service vehicles which will move segments to the TBM. Initially the segments will be delivered to our site during core working hours and we will keep you informed should this change.

Conveyor system
Soil excavated from the tunnel will be used to landscape areas on each side of the Chiltern line railway. The first excavated soil will be transported by a small temporary conveyor to a designated area within the site boundary until December 2022. The temporary conveyor will operate 24/7. We will start constructing the main conveyor and will provide you with further information in due course.

Rail siding
We have started building a rail siding at our site which will enable the delivery of tunnel segments by rail from the end of 2022/early 2023. We will update you on this activity later this year.

We anticipate that any noise and vibration relating to the TBM launch and its progress underground will be minimal given that it is at least 10 metres below the surrounding ground level. This distance is measured from the crown of the tunnel and not the track bed.
You may notice different types of noise during these works.
We would like to apologise in advance for any disruption or inconvenience this may cause. Every effort is being taken to ensure that these works are carried out in the least impactful way to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum.

Engagement
Our engagement team are available to answer your questions about the TBM launch and our works in the following ways:
– Our Community Information Hub at the mouth of our site on Ickenham Road will be open each day from Monday 26 to Friday 30 September from 10am to 4pm Monday to Friday.
– We are also planning a public engagement event locally and invitations will be sent out soon.

Download information relating to these works
• Launch of the Tunnel Boring Machine https://www.hs2.org.uk/work-items/launch-of-the-tunnel-boring-machine/