Speeches

Lord Truscott – 2016 Parliamentary Question to the Department for Transport

The below Parliamentary question was asked by Lord Truscott on 2016-01-14.

To ask Her Majesty’s Government whether any part of the proposed HS2 rail line is to be built on a flood plain.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon

Given HS2 is a national infrastructure project of over 350 miles, HS2 does currently plan to cross floodplains. For Phase One, the assessment of all sources of flood risk can be found in Volume 5 of the Environmental Statement. For Phase Two, flood risk is detailed in the Appraisal of Sustainability.

HS2 Ltd has a design aim that, for the lifetime of the development, there should be no increased risk of flooding for vulnerable receptors, including residential property, taking projected climate change impacts into account. The design of HS2 does consider the practicalities of a range of environmental factors, including flooding.