Proposal for Additional Mitigation
River Avon Crossing and north of this to the
A46.
Map 22 Arup Maps of the Route. HS2.
Proposed by the Stoneleigh Village Action
Group
April 2012 , rev Aug
Additional Comments regarding potential mitigation
April 2012 revised August 2012.
Introduction and proposal 1 Map 22
We would refer you to previous correspondence regarding route mitigation in the Stoneleigh/
Stareton section of the proposed HS2 route (map 22). This was as previously tabled and was
resubmitted to Mr David Sandercock, Area Manager by Mr A Lumley on 2nd April after the first
Community Forum meeting at Burton Green. This is proposal 1 for Map 22 .
The proposal was made by the Stoneleigh Park Resident's Association and other local action
groups, including the Stoneleigh Village Action Group (STAG).
Whilst in no way condoning the proposal to construct HS2 (refer to our response to the
consultation dated 22 July 2012: Appendix A) and wishing to correct a statement made in the
proposal 1 of 2nd April, we do however show a willingness to engage with the engineers and
other officers of HS2 Ltd to ensure that should the HS2 project come to fruition, the best
possible mitigation measures have been put into place. These we would ask would be proposed
to us and be agreed by us on behalf of our community.
The mechanism by how we speak for the community will be ours to resolve within our
community. As there is a clear way forward for putting any proposals to a village meeting etc
via a newly constituted village forum.
Proposal 2 Map 22
It is also our supposition that improved route mitigation, whilst initially may appear to be
more expensive, may not be so when balanced overall against the potentially reduced costs of
compensation, e.g. in terms of reduced land grab, greater land reuse , improved measures to
combat effects of noise, vibration and visual blight.
We make the following statements as members of our community, not as section designers or
as experts in any capacity.
Proposals 1&2 are driven by these key requirements;
1. Visual
We do not want to see this railway line, so that it makes sense to best use the ground contours
and further mitigation features, and of equal importance, we do not want to hear it. Much
speculation has been made of use of the line for freight, and whilst HS2 Ltd has stated that
freight will not be used on the line at night, we must urge that mitigation measures are future
proofed. Equally that any potential further development of the route after opening has been
considered and that the mitigation measures applied are also future proofed i.e. can
accommodate this or can be amended.
2. Noise
Clearly sound can be invasive and destructive, and prolonged exposure to this is injurious to
health. To have further exposure to this over longer or even 24 hour time periods would be
against for example Night Noise Guidelines as issued by the World Health Organisation, and we
endorse the paper submitted by the Cubbington Action Group, author Peter Delow.
3. Vibration
We are not clear as to what to expect and how you are going to deal with this aspect of the
project. Is this something to which a generic approach can be applied, or do the individual
ground circumstances etc affect solutions. Clearly we do not want our area to suffer from
vibration related problems, for many reasons, one being that many of our historic buildings are
founded on very shallow or no footings.
We now turn to what we would like to see developed as the detailed design work commences
and reviewed as the Community Forums meet. We would hope for further meetings with
project engineers and specialists.
As the proposal for the route through the Showground shows, the route will leave the
cutting at map reference Ch.139657.784 and cross the River Avon on a bridge. Ch139.700
We will make no further reference to our proposal 1 for a cut and cover tunnel through the
Showground, and base our comments on the proposals map HS2-ARP-00-DRW-RW-05022 Issue
4.0. However we fully endorse our requests made in proposal 1 through the Showground.
Proposal 2
A46, B4115 and the River Avon crossing.
Note: our comments can be referred to the WCC map of July 2012.
(We will present these in reverse order)
It is our concern that the point at which HS2 crosses the River Avon ch 139 .700 is closest to
Stoneleigh Village and that it is less than 700m to the first house in the village, Wentworth
House. Our concern is that sound will travel along and off the surface of the River and will
clearly audible in the village. We would also point out to you that prevailing wind has carried
occasional sound from the Showground to the village, making this clearly audible in the heart of
the village. So far any acoustic modelling has appeared to discount the impact of a wind born
component. Thus we ask for consideration to be given to sound attenuation on the river
crossing, by enclosing the bridge or other means which you would be willing to discuss with and
explain to us.
Overall our concern would be the visual, audial and vibrational impact at this point and
we would like to discuss and hear your views on possible solutions to achieve these aims.
Currently the bridge crossing the river from Showground gate 3 Ch 139. 657 is at a height
above the river bed of approximately 3m.
This photograph shows the potential of lowering the bridge crossing to the maximum
achievable and seeking a matching vertical alignment with this bridge.
Proposed Road bridge of the B4115 over the track route
As the route then heads north-westwards towards the A46, the profile of the land rises.
According to the profile on the map there is a rise of approximately 20m- 25m from the river
bed to the level of the A46. This offers the potential for additional mitigation measures which
could include cut and cover or some other method of achieving the group's aims on behalf of
the locality. We also see this as an opportunity to tackle other key features in this section:
The B4115 road crossing ch 140.000 and the lessening of the elevated nature of this road by
using the "folds" of the land, this road undulates so could this feature be used to best effect to
avoid a road bridge "hump"?
There is a natural rise
and fall on the B4115 which
provides an opportunity to
place the route through at
this point, reducing the
resultant height of the
revised B4115 bridge over,
Equally there are development proposals at Stoneleigh Park which will affect this road at the
junction of gate 3 where it meets this road.
B4115 to A46
The lowering of the track towards the A46 to accommodate a cut and cover tunnel towards
and under the A46 ch 140.00 to 140 .600 We assume the A46 trunk road will not be raised, can
we be assured that the existing road level will be a fixed datum point? It is clear from the route
map that beyond the A46 the track will be in a cutting and thus there is a potential to cut and
cover this section to the A46 tunnel and beyond towards Map 23
This will lessen the impact on the settlement of a farmhouse and converted barns at the
southern end of Crew Lane, this being some 450m from the route. and the numerous
properties on the NW corner of Stoneleigh village in direct uninterrupted view and sound
footprint of the route as planned.
the A46 road bridge
crossing over Crewe Lane, shows
the opportunities to get a vertical
alignment under the current A46
Clearly there is the
potential for additional mitigation
and we would like to discuss and understand what could be on offer.
We are concerned about the noise and vibration at tunnel exits and we would like to
discuss this aspect of attenuation further with you.
Why do we ask for this mitigation?
It is our contention that we are the guardians of an area of England which is of significant
historical and architectural significance (see Appendix A). In addition we have areas of
significant landscape value, as evidenced by the Stoneleigh Park mature trees and the historical
Repton landscapes created there.
We strongly believe that progress has to be adapted with our heritage. One may depend upon
the other, but we as a nation have the skill sets, the imagination and the talent to rise to the
challenges we face. It is a part of our national character, what defines our sense of who we are.
We are lucky enough to live in an area which expresses an historical part of that character and
which people visit regularly.
Grade 2 Listed Buildings in
Stoneleigh Village.
Do we want that to be compromised or undermined? What is the value to the UK economy of
tourism alone? Is the ancient site of Runnymede enhanced by being on the flight path to
Heathrow? Or are we happy that we build a railway for the cheapest cost and play "lip service"
only to mitigation? Where can we, who work so hard, find places to stop and contemplate and
understand that continuity of thoughts and ideals which links us back by time based paths.
Here is an opportunity to do
the best we can , to balance
conflicting demands and to seek a
good redress. We do not want the
ancient parks and the setting to
Stonleigh Abbey to resound to the
sound of High Speed Trains every 3
minutes or less.
Summary of proposals
Objective: reduce sound, noise and vibrational impacts to the maximum
Chainage (Ch) 139 700
Avon Bridge Build standard, modern screenage &height: proposals required to meet objective
Ch
140 .000
New Bridge for B4115 concept of low profile as above objective and is required to blend into
the background, and the rhythm of the trees aside this will be disrupted on an ancient drovers road
Ch 140.000 to 140.600
B4115 to A46 Cut and cover to make maximum use of local geography and reduce sound, sight
and vibrational blight.
Conclusions & Land ownership
Much of the land discussed in Proposals 1 and 2 above, is held on a very long lease by the Mars Pension
Trustees Limited. The property and the surrounding estate is managed on behalf of the Fund by LaSalle
Investment Management Ltd.
Stoneleigh Park is an established employment and showground site and is identified in Warwick District
Council’s Local Plan as a Major Developed Site in the Green Belt. As such the site is seen as an significant
employment centre with considerable planned future growth. LaSalle is now trying to move Stoneleigh
Park (formerly the National Agricultural Centre) forward to enhance the existing infrastructure to create
a Science Park specialising in equine, agricultural, sustainability and food based companies that will
provide high quality jobs, raising the status of the Park further, to a centre of national and international
excellence in these fields.
Therefore, to provide for the best possible future for both the historic village of Stoneleigh and the
historic environment and to protect the business community in Stoneleigh Park, the maximum
continuation of comprehensive mitigation measures along this section of the route is seen as essential.
The mitigation must ensure the line minimises any land take, seals against noise, is covered and
screened from view and isolated from vibration. These must be objectives for HS2 Ltd that require
detailed and urgent investigation.
Stoneleigh Action Group
April-Aug 2012.
Appendix A.
A Brief Overview of Points of Historical Significance/Interest in Stoneleigh
A quick trawl through English Heritage location summaries for the area brings up more than 210
“hits” ranging from Neolithic/Iron Age and Bronze Age finds to evidence of sites of interest from World
War Two – a significant rehabilitation centre for US forces in Abbey Park, and sites of anti-aircraft
batteries. Thus one can observe the palimpsest of history, layer upon layer. There is evidence too that
the area has long been associated with travel, as the B4115 was a drovers’ road subsidiary to but no
less important than the one which ran from Warwick to Banbury and thence to London.
Within our Map Area, moving from east to west: The Stone House Farm was a prototype for
Stoneleigh Abbey, the work of internationally renowned architect Francis Smith “of Warwick” - very
close by the HS2 line, within a rural setting. In architectural terms it is akin to an “early draft” of a noted
practitioner and is thus of considerable interest.
As the line approaches Stareton, it travels in the vicinity of several listed buildings in that
hamlet, which itself dates back to the Anglo-Saxon period. Perhaps the most significant to be considered
is Stare Bridge one of the best medieval bridges in the country, only yards from where the proposed line
will go. It will be at risk from disturbance and its setting compromised. Stare Bridge is contemporary
with Stoneleigh Abbey’s gatehouse (mid-14th c) and was possibly built by monks from the abbey.
As the line crosses Stoneleigh Park one of the areas it bisects is the remains of Echills wood, an
Anglo-Saxon forest which characterises the very existence of the area from its association with the
Forest of Arden. The word Echills takes its derivation from the German word for acorn; obviously oak
trees are the very essence of English woodland. Stoneleigh Park and the former Deer Park next to
Stareton has the largest collection of officially registered Veteran & preservation ordered trees in
Warwickshire. Many of these ancient trees will be at risk.
The proposed viaduct which travels over the Sowe/Avon confluence will be close in visual and
sound and vibration terms to Stoneleigh Village, which has more listed buildings than any other in
Warwickshire, some 45 of which were built before1600. There are 67 listed buildings now, several of
which are of ancient cruck construction. The twelfth-century church of St Mary the Virgin, a Grade 1
listed building of red sandstone, will be particularly at risk from sound reverberation owing to its
position.
The closest house is Wentworth House which although not listed is a significant dwelling, being
a former workhouse built by the Leigh family of the Abbey, then vicarage, which welcomed famous
visitors such as the writer Henry James and Sir Henry Parkes, a Stoneleigh boy who later became 5 times
Premier of New South Wales. The path alongside Motslow Cottage is an ancient sunken lane leading to
Motslow Hill with its quarries from which the village was built and which was the ancient meeting place
or “moot” in Saxon – possibly even earlier –times for the Hundred of Stoneleigh. It is quite
possible that future archaeological surveys would reveal significant historical detail.
As the line crosses the B4115 it lies close to a former castle site near Crewe Farm Historians still
debate whether an Iron Age hillfort was here as well as a castle which acted as a precursor to Kenilworth
Castle.
It is known that there were Romano-British settlements here together with Roman glassworks in
Glasshouse Wood. Again, further archaeological research might reveal valuable evidence.
HOWEVER: the greatest point of significance and concern is that the line will separate
Stoneleigh Abbey from its village and parkland. The new position for the multi-track line still cuts the
historic Stoneleigh landscape in half, severing Stoneleigh Abbey from much of its former Estate. To one
side is the Deer Park and Abbey Park, with Stoneleigh and Stareton, and to the other is the Abbey and its
landscape and parkland – of huge historic importance to the nation. The Abbey itself is surrounded by
ancillary listed buildings, and with the recently-restored Repton landscape, one of the finest and most
significant in the country. One can hardly emphasise sufficiently the importance of the Abbey, not just as
a Grade 1 listed building but also as it encapsulates nearly 1000 years of English history. Just one of its
many ancient trees has been dated from 1017AD, for example.
Since medieval times the abbey, its parklands and woodlands have been an integrated
landscape. The lodges for the abbey are scattered around a large area including the endangered East
Lodge at the entrance to Stoneleigh Park.
As the line moves further (map 23) several of the abbey’s ancient granges will be encountered,
such as Milburn Grange, Crackley and Cryfield.
To date, development has happened such as the growth of Stoneleigh Park but this has been
within an agricultural framework: Stoneleigh Park and Stoneleigh Village try to work closely for mutual
benefit. We are not averse to change so long as it is not destructive. The area’s ecology is interdependent, the buildings working with the woods, rivers and contours of the land. An example is the
sensitive development at Abbey Park where the British Horse Society has built its new headquarters
encircling a 1000 year old tree.
SLICING THROUGH THE LANDSCAPE WITHOUT CONSIDERATION OF MITIGATION WILL DESTROY
FOREVER A LANDSCAPE WITH SPECIAL HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE, BOTH FOR ITS BUILT AND NATURAL
ENVIRONMENT.
Sheila Woolf August 2012
On behalf of the Stoneleigh Action Group