Norton Bridge

Robert Slatcher - Principal Consultant

In my first few months as a new graduate (now a sadly receding memory) one of the things that stood out was the leaving speech given by a highways engineer to mark his retirement after 40 years with the company. In his speech he mentioned his biggest regret in his career was a bypass scheme in the north of England, which he worked on as his first job when he joined the company, then subsequently reworked several times over when it sprung back to life as it became the political flavour of the moment and was at that very moment handing it over to someone else as it had landed back on his desk.

Sadly as consultants it is all too common to put blood, sweat and tears into a project that never makes it off the table and I am sure many of you have similar tales of deadlines and work streams that absolutely had to be completed by the first week after Christmas, only to see it now gather dust on a shelf somewhere.

So it was great to hear that the Norton Bridge Grade Separation Project, for which I led the EIA, was granted a Development Consent Order back in 2014 and was now just past the mid-point of construction. Recently I was fortunate enough to be given a guided tour of the site, a fantastic opportunity to see how all of those endless engineering plans I spent hours reviewing during the design phase translated on the ground.

The Norton Bridge scheme was the fourth Network Rail scheme to be granted a Development Consent Order, the consenting mechanism for Nationally Significant Infrastructure Projects (NSIPs) under the Infrastructure Planning Act (A previous article I authored gives some of the background to the consent process for new railways - link).

 Completed cutting ready for the installation of the trackbed and rail infrastructure

The project sought to resolve the last major bottleneck on the West Coast Main Line at Norton Bridge Junction by avoiding slow trains crossing the path of fast trains by creating a grade separation of the tracks at this location. The scheme itself required significant infrastructure and construction works which include three major pipeline diversions, 10km of new double track railway, a major highway diversion, twelve new bridges and four watercourse diversions.

In addition to the successful delivery of the Environmental Statement to support the consent application, Temple also provided significant input in to the development of the scheme design. The design phase of the scheme was awarded the highest ever interim CEEQUAL score of 97.4%, with the majority of scheme design highlights cited by CEEQUAL being items delivered by Temple (http://www.ceequal.com/awards_157.html).

When arriving on site the first thing that stood out was how well set up the site compound was. The car park and site offices were on a par with a permanent office development and not that of a construction site. I think when stakeholders imagine a site compound they may well picture a muddy patch of ground, a portacabin on its last legs and some scattered skips. When in reality for a modern construction site this could not be further from the truth. This sense of order was a theme that continued throughout the site.

Parallel rail and road overbridges over the diverted channel of the Meece Brook

At the time of the visit all of the bridge structures and associated watercourse diversions had been completed and earthworks were approximately 50% complete. The work that remained included the highway diversion, the remaining earthworks and the installation of the track infrastructure. The construction process had been progressing well and was a year ahead of programme.

To support the Environmental Statement Temple prepared a draft Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP) to form the link between the assessment and construction phases and to demonstrate the mechanism by which the mitigation identified through the EIA would be implemented. When speaking to one of the construction environmental management team it was satisfying to hear that the CEMP had successfully transitioned to the construction phase and had been continually updated and used to manage a range of issues on site.

One of the major issues Temple had to manage during the single option design and EIA phase was the sheer variety of ecology on site. A comprehensive range of ecological mitigation measures were required which consisted of a combination of design mitigation embedded in the scheme, construction mitigation delivered through the CEMP and ecological enhancements. A team of ecologists have been present on site throughout the construction phase in order to monitor and implement the various stages of mitigation.

A purpose built nature reserve was created at a local conference centre and retreat to enable the translocation of animals from construction areas prior to the commencement of works. Our site visit finished off with a quick visit to the reserve to see how it had established. Given the relatively short period since it was constructed the site seemed like it had been there for many years. It was certainly a pleasant spot to relax so it was understandable why the retreat were happy to be the recipients of the reserve. 

Nature reserve constructed by the project to act as a translocation site

From a personal perspective the visit was extremely useful to gain an appreciation of the scale and logistics related to a major infrastructure project in construction. I think that for individuals undertaking EIAs the ability to experience at first hand a construction site is hugely beneficial and provides the background knowledge that can translate directly through to the assessment of construction impact.

Inspiration for Temple’s EMS Committee taken from Paris COP21

Ellie Holderness - EIA Intern

Temple’s EMS Committee is an employee led group that meets regularly to discuss the environmental performance of the company and to identify events and schemes that could be embedded at Temple in order to promote environmental improvements and good practices for both the company and personal behaviour. Each year the group identifies a series of local, national and international environmental events, around which they can co-ordinate their efforts and this year the EMS Committee has chosen to focus on Paris COP21 

What is COP21?

Between November 30th and December 11th, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) will be running the 21st Session of the Conference of the Parties; otherwise known as Paris COP21. The UNFCCC is one of the three conventions that were established at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 and is comprised of 196 member states that meet annually as the Conference of Parties (COP) to determine future goals for tackling climate change. Outcomes from previous conventions include the Kyoto Protocol and the Cancun Agreements. This year’s conference will be vital as it intends to reach a decision regarding a legally-binding, international agreement that will curb additional climate change and deal with its impacts. For the first time in over 20 years of UN negotiations, the conference aims to achieve a legally binding and universal agreement on climate, with the aim of keeping global warming below 2°C.

In order to help combat climate change in this way, the agreement must focus primarily on mitigation and the transformation to a low-carbon society. The agreement also wishes to raise $100 Billion per year from the donations of developed countries in order to help poorer countries develop in a sustainable manner. Alongside Paris COP21, the French Government has been inundated with requests to support projects and initiatives that are civilian-led. The initiatives cover a wide array of activities that all centre on one thing: the exchange of knowledge. Examples of these projects include the Global Eco-Forum (22nd October) and COP IN MYCITY, a programme that simulates climate negotiations with students in order to draw them in to the approaching conference. The Global Eco-Forum is a 2-day event that will focus on the relationship between energy, climate and cities. Currently 75% of global carbon emissions are produced by urban areas, therefore mitigation strategies are urgently needed in the developed world. Such outcomes from the Eco-Forum will be taken forward to Paris COP21.

What is Temple doing? 

Temple has committed to developing as a low carbon business and in support of that the EMS committee will be arranging a number of climate and low-carbon themed activities in the lead up to COP21. In the spirit of COP IN MYCITY, we already have a local primary school talk in the pipeline. We will be taking over the company’s monthly social events with low carbon themes and we are currently analysing employee commuting so that employees can find out how much carbon they emit getting to and from work. Each month the committee will be identifying new initiatives and hopes that actions such as these will prompt the consideration of how our day-to-day activities affect the climate and energise people into taking action to reduce our impacts. 

Airport Commission recommends 3rd Runway at Heathrow – hear Sir Howard Davies at Runways UK on Monday (6 July)

Rob Whittle - Business Development & Marketing Director

The Airports Commission has published its long-awaited Final Report recommending a 3^rd Runway at Heathrow https://www.gov.uk/government/news/airports-commission-releases-final-report . Your first chance to hear directly from Sir Howard, and to hear the reaction from key stakeholder groups, will be on 6/7^th July at Runways UK 2015 taking place at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London. Temple is a key sponsor to RunwaysUK and we’d be pleased to see you at the event - bookings are on line.

Sir Howard Davies presents at Runways UK Monday (6 July)

Rob Whittle - Business Development & Marketing Director

The Airports Commission will publish its long-awaited Final Report this week. Your first chance to hear directly from Sir Howard, and to hear the reaction from key stakeholder groups, will be on 6/7^th July at RunwaysUK 2015 taking place at the Grange Tower Bridge Hotel in London. Temple is a key sponsor to Runways UK and we’d be pleased to see you at the event. Bookings are on line.

Temple’s take on Green Sky Thinking week

This year a team of Temple staff attended Open City’s Green Sky Thinking; a week-long London-wide events programme, which focuses on how sustainability can be embedded into the built environment. Unlike like other industry events, the festival consists of informal presentations, as well as on-site project talks, an aspect which is very attractive to Temple. Green Sky Thinking attracts key players from the sustainability industry, including; Crossrail, Bam Ferrovial Kier Joint, Innovate UK, Arup, PRP, Skanska, BuroHappold, plus many more.

A large number of our clients hosted events, so it was also a chance to reflect on how Temple is also playing a part in creating a more liveable London, as well as to help generate ideas internally on what else we can be doing. Temple hope to run our own Green Sky Thinking event next year.

To find out more about Temple visit our website here.

Engineering the Future; BuroHappold Engineering

Greg Yiangou – Consultant

“The event showcased 10 different innovative projects that aim to address the challenges created by the rapid urbanisation of London. These projects focused on a wide variety of problems that cities all over the world will be facing, from stress on existing transport networks to health care systems. For me this was the most exciting thing about the talk – they demonstrated how digital technologies and open data have the potential to adapt and solve problems cities are facing across a wide range of sectors”.

The Opportunities & Challenges of Building Farringdon Crossrail Station; Crossrail, Bam Ferrovial Kier Joint Venture

Toby Wastling – Senior Consultant

“This event was interesting at it gave attendees the opportunity to see the Crossrail Farringdon Station site and appreciate the scale of the development. As part of the Crossrail project spoil is being put to beneficial use by being used for a bird sanctuary at Wallasea island. The event also demonstrated the challenges of the project, including the number of unknowns that continue to provide challenges in London construction – underground structures, archaeology, lack of information on utilities to name but a few!”.

How to Build a Sustainable Railway? Crossrail

Toby Wastling – Senior Consultant

“Interesting session to understand how sustainability issues learnt from Crossrail can be taken forward into future projects i.e. Crossrail 2, HS2, Thames Tideway Tunnel. The event discussed the idea of cement free concrete, which is currently being developed. Though innovation has been carried out this is limited due to the lack of knowledge about process – will it be able to support the infrastructure for 120 years?”.

What is the role of the Structural & Civil Engineer in Sustainable Construction? Elliott Wood

Toby Wastling – Senior Consultant

“A real discussion about how architects and engineers can increase sustainability in construction. Part of the solution will be down to the newly qualified professionals who have been educated in sustainability from an early age”.

Overheating; PRP

Amy Cook – Senior Consultant

"I found PRP’s ‘Overheating’ session the most exciting Green Sky Thinking event. Something that is becoming a more prominent theme in regeneration schemes is the idea of ‘community resilience’; It is one thing to ‘build’ resilience into new infrastructure or development for example by using low carbon materials which can withstand higher temperatures or, altering the aspect of dwellings so that their rooms do not receive prolonged hours of direct sunlight. However, to consider climate change within the context of an existing vulnerable community and how its support network may adapt, is a relatively new concept and are a far more difficult notion to incorporate into design.

The event discussed work which has been carried out to understand patterns of behaviour of local communities – is there infrastructure or a support network in place for vulnerable people? An example given was on ventilation: an elderly resident of a care home may not be able to reach to open a window if they’re too hot – is there a support network to ensure they don’t suffer from overheating?".

Healthy Cities, A Wake up Call; LUC

Erica Ward – Senior Consultant

“I attended the ‘Healthy Cities, A Wake up Call’ event hosted by LUC. The most interesting thing I learnt was that although there is a lot of buzz in the industry about getting funding for green infrastructure (due to proven health benefits) from health budgets, this may be more difficult to implement practically. Most health funding is for clinical commissioning and there are much more limited budgets within public health, where this type of funding would come from”.

Green Sky Thinking week

Terry O’Neill – Account Director

"For me the overriding impression I took in attending 8 of the Green Sky Thinking events was the passion and urgency which all of the speakers communicated. They (and we along with them) understand the opportunity now available to us to embed sustainability into the agenda for infrastructure and development. The timing for this should not be underestimated and full advantage should be taken where possible".

Can cycling superhighways give wider benefits?

Martin Gibson - Head of Operations

This month, Boris Johnson launched the start of construction of London’s new North-South segregated cycling superhighway. The route will run from King’s Cross to Elephant and Castle and is part of a package of measures that is hoped to further boost cycling in London. It will be followed fairly soon by a new East-West Superhighway from Tower Hill to Westbourne Terrace. The new routes will extend the superhighway network into and across central London.

A lot of other cities are also trying to dramatically increase cycling. Manchester is looking to develop cycling along the Oxford Road, closing it to car traffic. Edinburgh is trialling a segregated cycle lane along George Street. Cambridge is putting in segregated cycling lanes on key routes.

One of the reasons for increasing cycling is to drive environmental improvements, especially in air quality. Transport for London published its Environmental Evaluation Report for the new cycle superhighways in January. This predicts route wide benefits and no adverse route wide effects. The report shows that there will be both positive and negative local environmental impacts from the proposed new cycle superhighways. The positive effects considerably outweigh the negative effects, with air quality and noise due to improve in a number of locations.

The study behind the report shows that changes in traffic will re-distribute vehicle emissions but will not increase overall emission levels. It does not mention the possibility of an overall reduction in emissions on a wider scale. However, work in the late 1990’s showed that reducing road capacity can sometimes lead to traffic effectively disappearing. If this were to happen, then the cycle routes should lead to a wider improvement in air quality.

From the scale of highway capacity reduction that the new cycle superhighways will produce, it seems possible that traffic could reduce. If it does, this should lead to improvements in air quality and reductions in noise that are significant enough to be considered more than just local. If evidence emerges that there are wider air quality benefits, it should provide more impetus for innovative projects that are currently on only at the concept phase. In London alone, these include a Norman Foster’s sky cycle, the London Underline and the Floating Track on the Thames.

It may be hard to disaggregate the effect that the segregated cycle highways will have on London’s environment but it will be important to see if air quality improves when they are completed.

Housing policies too ‘personal’ to feature heavily in top parties’ campaigns?

Amy Cook - Senior Consultant & Genevieve Oller - Senior Marketing Executive

As the parties prepare to go head-to-head in the 2015 General Elections, housing policy may be a means of leveraging votes, but, to what extent will their agendas actually have a noticeable impact on the housing sector? Temple attended a fantastic event organised by PRP, which asked ‘what does the General Election 2015 mean for the housing industry?’.

The opening speaker Mike Craven (Lexington Partner and former Chief Media Spokesman for the Labour Party) spent time exploring the unprecedented nature of this election due to the uncertainty of which political party may hold the majority. As the smaller parties such as UKIP and the Greens have started to gain strength in some of the traditional strongholds of the ‘big three’, precious votes which could win a majority for Labour or the Conservatives are being lost.

Due to this uncertainty there’s not likely to be bold stance on issues such as housing, on account of a reluctance to alienate any of their current supporters. Steve Akehurst, Public Affairs Officer at Shelter, suggested that housing is such a ‘personal’ issue that it can often be highly controversial. Indeed the parties policies are notably similar; Labour have set their target at 200,000 new homes in the next term, with Conservatives planning for a similar level and Liberal Democrats at 300,000. All parties also recognise the need for more affordable housing and protection of the greenbelt. However, it was concluded that housing would be more prominent in the campaigns now than it was back in 2005. Voters will be expecting the parties to set out policies that will help relieve the pressure of a market which is struggling to meet demand. In particular we could see polices that attract the votes of 20/30 year olds with young families who are unable to move out of the parental home.

Steve Akehurst also suggested that parties are unlikely to set out strong policies in the run up to the election, as these kinds of policies are unlikely to swing their campaigns. The speaker also felt that the next term in Government would not see such radical change to the planning system, such as the NPPF which is now bedding down quite well.

The uncertainty of the current political climate brought into question whether there should be an ‘Independent Committee’ set up to champion these large new housing development schemes – urban extensions; new garden cities – to ensure that there is a long-term driver towards building new homes outside of political time-scales.

Temple's Peter Cole (Principal Consultant) discusses Temple's take on what's needed from future housing policies; 

"The dichotomy that the Conservative Party is currently grappling with in terms of new housing is one that I think the UK as a whole has to wake up to. Building solely on brownfield sites is not going to solve our housing shortage and the uneasy co-existence of house building/buying incentives and greenbelt protection is only going to get more complicated. Our role as environmental planners and sustainability practitioners is to make those hard choices slightly easier for everyone to live with...."