HS2 High-SPEED RAIL 2 HIGH-SPEED RAIL 2 Tutors Name Institutions Name City Date ObjECTIVES

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HIGH-SPEED RAIL 2
Tutor’s Name
Institution’s name
City
Date

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1. OBJECTIVES
The aim of this report is to discover how the construction of HS2 increase/ decrease
the risk of flooding along the development site (and to seek improvement method?)
with the following objectives;
 Identify regions of high risk with an explanation and description of following
assessment models in terms of flood risk management;
I. Strategic Flood Risk Assessment.
II. Sequential Test.
III. The Exception Test
 Identify risks of flooding (e.g. flood the surrounding residential area) using
the assessment models mentioned above to identify the flood risk problems
that HS2 development is facing. Discuss the advantage and disadvantage of
the HS2 development impact on flood risk
 Determine risk minimization plan (e.g. flood barrier/ defence) looking into the
current flood risk example in England and how the public and government
deal with it using the previous example, such as the development of national
rail, as reference
Evaluation of the disadvantages and advantages of HS2 rail
Advantages
• The development of fast rail transport system across the country benefits the train users
by cheaper and faster movement. Also, there is reduced congestion on the streets.
• There will be job provision from the construction of the rail.

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• The curation of travelling across the country will be shortened.
• There would be an environmental mitigation due to the building of green tunnels.
Disadvantages
• There would be benefits only felt by the small train users.
• Benefits of fast travelling to the workplace can be debatable as recent jobs are possible to
be done at home.
• There is no assured guarantee that the passengers would use the train that often.
• The development encourages people to live far from London opting to use the train to
reach London.
• Other alternatives that include further development of existing train length exist.
2. METHODOLOGY
Data were requested from the Environment Agency with the planning of the proposed
government construction site of the HS2 rail and analyzed as per the following described model
methods;
I. Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (SFRA).
II. Sequential Test.
III. The Exception Test.
SFRA
The SFRA has a number of objectives during its undertaking. During the undertaking of the
SFRA, there needs to be a provision of sufficient information and data on the flood risk types
that affect the application of Sequential Test in the determination of the allocation of land use
allocation. Also, if necessary, where the application of exception test. The SFRA has to allow

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the planning authority to get a full understanding of flood risk from any source within the area.
Also, there is an understanding of the risks from and to the area surrounding the area of
development. Another reason for the use of SFRA is to produce an informative sustainability
appraisal in that the flood risk can be able to be considered fully during the preparation for use of
land. The SFRA has the importance of preparing appropriate policies that can manage the flood
risk. A detailed level of identifying assessment of flood risk sites in specific locations. Moreover,
there is a determination of acceptable relation in flood risk relating to the planning capability of
emergency situations (Filho, et al., 2017).
General scope.
Level 1 SFRA has the benefit of showing the flood risked land outside the area of interest but
fails to accommodate the important development in the area of concern and the application of
exception test. The SFRA scope, therefore, needs to be widened to increase its effect therefore
level 2 is more applicable. The document in this model talks more about level 2 application and
its evaluation. SFRA has to be completed fast enough so as to provide information on the options
of development concerning the land being developed for the rail tracks. Changes that may take
place in the planning would mean some activities in the SFRA had to be done later (United,
2016).
SFRA planning role in high-speed rail 2
SFRA has the role of helping in assessing the suitable potential of broadening site-specific
locations for the development of rail as required by the planning authority. As such, there is
informed evidence-based identification that helps in determination of flood risk level.

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However, the main role of using the SFRA is to provide a determined potential site suitable for
gradual stages in plan-making. The gradual stages include the use of Sequential Test or the use
of Exception Test in areas where appropriate. In this model, measures of flood risk mitigation
need to be taken into account as portions of solving the constraints of flood risk (Transport,
2004).
The scope of Level 1 and its approach
An SFRA level 1 has to be sufficient for allowing the use of Sequential Test together with the
identification of whether the site development can be put in medium and high areas of flood risk,
taking consideration of the flooding sources. The flooding sources need not only be coastal and
rivers. Also, the identification need not be for the possibility of use of Exception Test.
Information from the level 1 can principally be studied from the desk that makes the better of
existing data (Great Britain: H.M. Treasury, 2011).
The level 1 has its constituents being;
 Flood map that covers the tidal and river flooding.
 Areas that are more prominent to flooding of their surfaces.
 Data coming from other consultees affected by floods like the local authorities. ‘
 Soil and geological maps that ease the implementation of techniques to be implemented.
 Events involving floods that occurred in the past. May come from the newspaper,
community groups or local residents.
Outputs from level 1
There are key outputs that come from SFRA level 1. Plans form the local authority have an
indication of the flood zones and the ordinary watercourses that include the floodplain.

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Moreover, there is an indication of the existing plan on the locality and the previous site
development allocation on the considered on the site in the future. An included implication
assessment of the change in climate for the flood risk allocation site development, this is done
for the appropriate period of time in case it lacks in the plans that were proposed. Areas that are
at risk from flooding sources that include groundwater flooding and the surface water flooding.
Level 1 has the pleasure of informing on the management measures concerning the flood risk
that includes the standard and the location of infrastructure warning systems. A guidance on the
assessment in flood risk preparation for the allocation of development sites is included (Wilson
& Piper, 2010).
This information needs to be sufficient so as to allow the application of additional tests such as
the Sequential Test and to allow the informing of subsequent planning policies and sustainability
appraisal. Level 2, however, needs to be carried out in the field. Level 2 will, therefore, entail
collection of data and their analysis.
SFRA scope of level 2
In level 2, there is an increased level of scope in that there is a higher possibility of later
inclusion of Exception and Sequential Tests. Level 2 has the characteristic of requiring more
information in the areas that have the risk of either medium or high tendency to flood with
lacking alternatives to the application of Sequential Test for development. Such a detailed study,
therefore, requires equally detailed nature in the flood hazard that takes into account the
existence of management measures in flood risks. Such techniques would allow sequential
approach in site allocation that can be adopted in the flood zone areas. Level 2 SFRA also allows
the practices and policies required for ensuring development in areas affected by floods to satisfy

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the requirements for the Exception Test. A detailed scope that considers a detailed nature in the
areas rampant with the flood is (Anon., 2016);
 Flood depth.
 Flood probability.
 The rate of flood onset.
 Flood velocity.
Such factors are heavily affected by flood defences presence or any relevant infrastructure.
Flooding that may occur in the infrastructure of such nature may be due to;
 Rising of water level to exceed the defence level (overtopping)
 Operational or constructional defence failure either in part or whole.
 An overload of the surface water system of drainage, this can be due to an own limited
capacity.
Flooding defence information
Information in the level 2 portion of the SFRA has data on the standard, location, and condition
of flood defences of the area under scrutiny for rail building needs to be obtained from the
individuals operating and marinating such assets. More policies that come in the future also need
to be reviewed.
The Environment Agency has a provisioned guidance concerning the assessment of risks that
may occur to people behind the flood defence system. This research suggests three options that
assess the increasing complexity of flood risk. They include simple, intermediate and complex
approaches. Using SFRA is suitable for implementing intermediate and simple methods. The
choice of these approaches heavily depends on the pathways, flood risk and receptor

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vulnerability in the region located behind the flood defence. Level 2 analysis is sufficiently
allowing flood defence assessment with the design appropriate to the standard (Hall, et al.,
2016).
Level 2 outputs in SFRA
The results in the SFRA level 2 needs to build on the information source that can be
compromised in level 1 by containing;
 Current condition appraisal of the flood defence in infrastructure together with likely
future management policy in floods taking into consideration the upgrade and
maintenance.
 Consequences and probability appraisal in the failure or overtopping in management if
the infrastructure of the flood that includes allowing climate change possibility.
 Mapping and definition of floodplain functionality in the locations that require such
features.
 Maps that indicate the flood risk distribution across any flood zone from any source of
flood considering climate change.
 Appropriate policy guidance that can satisfy requirements on the flood risk planning and
exception test.
 Preparation guidance on the assessment of the flood risk sites that vary in risks across the
flood zones. More information can be added to make use of the techniques in sustainable
drainage.
 An identification of the areas and locations of critical drainage as well as the
identification of the plans of management of surface water.