ADVANCING COMMUNITY BENEFITS ALONGSIDE THE DEVELOPMENT OF HS2 IN THE UK

Large-scale projects like HS2 present significant opportunities for positive outcomes in local communities. However, in today’s financial climate, realising these benefits requires commitment and collaborative efforts marked by open dialogue and transparency.

HS2, approved by Parliament in 2017 and expected to commence operations around 2030, is the UK’s most substantial construction project. This role was about working, client side, to influence the outcomes for communities along the construction package running from Coventry to Birmingham and then further north to Lichfield.

This work involved extensive dialogue and collaboration with various technical and managerial teams within HS2 and its network of contractors and designers. Influencing necessitated a deep understanding of the pressures of programme and the imperative to justify public spending in the interest of wider outcomes. Since many legacy outcomes extend beyond HS2’s immediate scope, collaboration with Department of Transport officers, local authorities, and stakeholders was crucial to advancing initiatives of mutual interest..

Achievements during this assignment include:

• Completing four Context Integration Studies to identify a possible opportunities for enhancing integration and legacy, by providing crucial client-side management and oversight.
• Initiating and contributing to a comprehensive study to develop Active Travel routes from Coventry to Birmingham and Lichfield, in partnership with the Department of Transport and other stakeholders.
• Collaboratively resolving complex technical challenges at interfaces between HS2 sites and future developments in central and eastern Birmingham.
• Exploring Third-Party Agreements in the West Midlands between HS2 and landowners/development promoters to leverage synergies, potentially leading to cost savings and cooperating for mutual advantage and for the benefit of communities.