High Speed 2 (HS2) Project: Built Environment, Economy & Stakeholders

This report provides a comprehensive analysis of the High Speed 2 (HS2) project, focusing on its impact on the built environment and the UK economy. It begins by defining the built environment and highlighting the project's background, objectives, and intended benefits, such as reduced journey times, increased capacity, and economic growth outside of London. The report then delves into the various sectors of the construction industry—building, infrastructure, and industrial—and their relevance to the HS2 project. Furthermore, it details the timeline and activities involved in the project's phases, including design, engineering, and environmental work. The report also identifies and discusses the roles and responsibilities of major professional bodies and stakeholders involved in the project, categorizing them into station working groups, broad stakeholder groups, and challenging panels. It concludes by emphasizing the project's benefits to the UK economy and local communities, considering both financial and social aspects. The report underscores the significance of HS2 as a major transportation investment with long-term implications for the UK.

Introduction to the Built
Environment

Introduction
The concept of built environment is to cover all the aspects of lives which encompasses
building, distribution systems that generally provide with electricity and water, bridges and
transportation systems. In this process such effective activities are granted which individual
utilize to get from one place to another. While consumption of materials continues to be
enhanced with one of the major increase for construction ores, industrial and other minerals
(Whistance-Smith, 2022). The impact of this environment significantly drive to influence
individuals physical activity such as it can be stated that non-existent side-walks as well as other
bicycle and walking paths contribute to secondary habits. While covering a particular project in
UK, HS2 is colossal project that is initially intended to formulate high speed rail linkage between
North England cities to London. It usually aims to reduce journey time and enhance capacity for
better job opportunities and building UK economy outside London.
In this study it will analyse various sectors of built environment and reflect over detail
background of the project. Furthermore, it would be discussing project time and execute type of
activities which took place in project phase (Whistance-Smith, 2022). Apart from that it will
describe role and responsibilities for major professional bodies included in this project and their
contribution for the project. At the end of this it will highlight benefits of industry towards UK
economy and local communities. In this concern it will focus over aspects related to benefits
which project has influenced for local community and UK economy. The local community is
aligned with social benefits whereby UK economy is related to financial benefits.
Sectors of construction industry
The construction industry produces broad range of product and project being working in
construction segment are equally different. There are three sectors of construction which can be
concluded as infrastructure, building and industrial. It is usually termed as non residential,
residential and engineering projects, as activities in this stage are carried out as private and
public endeavour.
Building -
In this construction process it adds structures to area of land and it includes typical
activities which is usually undertaken by property owner. Also, in some rare cases land might be
purchased compulsory from the owner to utilize it for public use. Hence, building construction is
divided into two segments such as residential and non-residential (Shaheen and et.al., 2022). The

construction of this usually covered under small renovations and such it involves some common
elements such as financial, design, legal considerations and estimating.
Infrastructure-
The term infrastructure is also known as civil and engineering as it consist dams, bridges,
works, highways, railways and utility distribution (Shaheen and et.al., 2022). The engineers in
this process covers the designing and overall maintenance for natural and physical built
environment whereby public works are involved in terms of bridges, roads, canals, sewerage
systems, airport, and railways.
Industrial -
This is most significant part of construction sector and it belongs to very small part in
such industry. It considers offshore construction mainly targetting to energy installations like
refineries, power generation, manufacturing plants and chemical processing (Shaheen and et.al.,
2022). In such projects owners gain huge amount of profit and industrial corporations that is
figure out in these industries. For carrying out effective practices it is required for higher
qualified expertise for cost estimations, planning, construction and designs. On the other hand it
also demands high quality of workforce to ensure effective output.
Background
HS2 is also known as High Speed two as company which is responsible for promoting
and developing UK's new high speed rail network. The main sources of funding is provided by
government, HS2 is executive non-departmental body as sponsored by transport departments.
Previously in year 2009, the government of UK stated about formation of high speed two ltd.
Similarly, Sir David Rowlands appointed as chairman to examine case for HS2 and introduce
route among West Midlands and London. The purpose of this project was to deliver enhanced
railway capacity as well as connectivity among Britain's huge conurbations (Rungskunroch, Shen
and Kaewunruen, 2022). This investment and project termed as broad transportation investment
for UK generation. By aid of this it will cut off journey time, create more job facilities, increase
capacity and build economy of UK outside London. The project is initially intended to form
higher speed rail connectivity among London and North England cities. Hence, the project will
encourage more suitable practice in favour of people, and enhance their journey to be less time-
consuming. It will help several people to go out of their domestic flights, cars and will offer

decreased carbon emissions for individual passenger as compared to seven time lower than their
cars and 17 times from air travel.
Types of activities and when the project started identification
High speed 2 has planned for the high speed of railway lines which is in the united
kingdom. it has two phases, phase 1 is started in year 2020 it has created for increasing the
capacity of the existing lines which have a slower tracks. The phase one project is developed in
the sequential way with the proper design and construction as well. It has planned for the better
infrastructure in phase two which is still pursuing (Chen, 2020). The phase two is created
because to develop the more structure and improvements in construction which avoid the
chances of any problems created in the railway. The phase 2 will covers the tunnel which is
under the Crewe station but that will be not the stopping station. It includes many more junctions
which have a better experience with the classic lines and superior journey combination with it.
The major intention of HS2 is increasing the capacity of railways with the better facility.
The activities in this project cover the significant concern to develop convenient practices
to be evolved in UK catering good amount of services to customers. There are two phases of this
project whereas in Phase 1 it includes designing, engineering, and other environmental work
(Shaheen and et.al., 2022). The hybrid bill provided to authority for constructing phase 1 for this
project which is cleared by house of parliament and afterwards receive Royal Assent in month of
February 2017.
on the other hand second phase of project is committed to enforced in two parts likely to be
known as Phase 2A, 2B. While house of commons passed 2A in 2019 as such hybrid bill for the
same at that time awaited to be passed in 2020.
HS2 Project life cycle
The project lifestyle of the HS2 includes:
Investor- For promoting and the developing of the UK new high speed railway network the High
speed two company is responsible. From the government of UK the grant-in-aid funded to the
project. For the medium of transport the Department of UK transport sponsor the HS2 in an
executive non-departmental public body.
Contact- The contact for the project is to the consultant of the Senior Sustainability by the James
Robb.
Type- The HS2 project is the type of the construction project.

Certification- Under the scheme of the BREEAM New Construction to carry out the project it
will analysis to achieve the 2 innovation credit. To the overall score there would be an addition
of the 1 percent provided. The BREEAM excellence will be minimum achieved as expected for
the project (Rungskunroch, Shen and Kaewunruen, 2022).
One click LCA used for- To extract the materials the one click LCA Revit plug-in was used.
To the life period of the 120 years the design was calculated for building the baseline of
whole life carbon footprints. The indicator of one click LCA 'EN 15978' was used. Against the
baseline there was several designed options was tested. To the end of the RIBA stage 2 there was
reduction of the 14 percent in the whole life carbon emission was to be developed. During the
analysis there would highlight the number of reduction. The detail of the design is progressed
which is to be investigated for the future stages of the project.
Professional bodies involved in HS2
The professional bodies in project and technical management services for providing
suitable support in HS2 consist of various stakeholders of project. Local authorities, train
operating companies, Network Rail, highway agencies, Tfl, utilities company, etc. were part of
this project completion. The project was meant to compile London with Manchester,
Birmingham and Leeds. Also, in this project various formal working groups were exaggerated to
align with effective working process (Bonard, Richards and Mudiganti, 2021, February). In this
way hoc meetings were taken into consideration with other stakeholders. The major groups of
stakeholders are categorized under following segments such as:
Station working groups -
In this stage work is performed with delivery partners in day-to-day formal working
teams. They contributed to assessment and identification of options comprised with small
amount of stakeholder with particular local transport as well as planning responsibilities for
remitted stations. Also, there were reciprocal contact with aligned borough authorities to collect
useful information over planning proposal (MCIEEM and Sloan, 2019).
Broad stakeholder groups -
Such teams are divided into wider range of local as well as regional planning authorities,
other interest and business groups in Midlands, Scotland and north England.
Rolling stock and infrastructure fixture terminal stakeholders -

There were various stakeholders in this aspect to cooperate and better assistance as
sharing specific knowledge and concerns regarding with project. Such stakeholders belong to
upper tier general planning authorities for potential terminal locations, and it does not seem to be
formal group (Millington, Barratt and Hindmarch, 2021).
Challenging panels -
Such panels provide assurance for HS2 approach as high speed rail is examined at every
stage. In this process it included most of the independent experts, and so on panel challenges and
strengthen up strategic as well as analytical strategies of project.
Appraisal of Sustainability groups -
In this stage the stakeholders are included from central government departments as well as
statutory agencies (Bonard, Richards and Mudiganti, 2021, February). It aims to serve lucrative
input and challenges for sustainability classification methodology.
The key stakeholder in the HS2 are the taxpayer. The government were funding initially
in the project. To the development of the HS2 there will be the regard of the input in the feasible.
HS2 includes both the internal and the external stakeholders. The internal stakeholders according
to the demand side are the British government, Chairman HS2 Ltd, Allan cook and the
department for the transport. The supply side internal stakeholders are the contractors, engineers,
railway industry associates, suppliers of the materials and the staff. External stakeholders
includes private and the public stakeholder (Millington, Barratt and Hindmarch, 2021). The
private stakeholder includes the local business and landowners, environmentalists, local
residents, archaeologists, conservationists, special interest groups and the taxpayers. In the public
stakeholder the European rail freight association, regulatory agencies, newspaper and media and
the local councils were included in it. To identify the role of the Stakeholder in the HS2 the
Stakeholder analysis was used.
The analysis includes:
Keep Satisfied Manage Closely
Monitor Keep Informed
Keep Satisfied - The stakeholder involved in the keep satisfied have high power in the
involvement of company but have lower interest. Company has to keep satisfy this stakeholder to
increase the performance. The Stakeholder in the Keep Satisfied are the regulatory agencies,

other government parties, conservationists, environmentalists and the archaeologists (Bonard,
Richards and Mudiganti, 2021, February).
Manage Closely - The organization has to closely manage with these people as these
stakeholders have high power and were highly interested in the organization performance. The
stakeholders involved in manage closely are the local councils and the residents, local
landowners and the business, grant shapps, Allan cook, Labour MPs, Department for the
transport media.
Monitor - The HS2 company has to keep monitor on the stakeholders such as the Railway
industry, other rail networks, transport business and the associates as these stakeholders have less
power and were less interested to the company's performance (MCIEEM and Sloan, 2019).
Keep Informed - HS2 has to keep informed the stakeholders such as the Contractors, Engineers,
Association of the EU rail freight, suppliers of materials, taxpayers, special interest groups,
engineers, staff. These stakeholders were highly interested in the company's profit but the
stakeholders have less power.
The stakeholder plays the major role in the HS2 as the construction of the train and
joining with various paths. The local authorities perform various task for the company to develop
the path. Many homeowners will need to be evicted as part of the HS2 project, and their homes
will need to be demolished to make room for the railway tracks. People whose homes are in
these neighbourhoods and close to the track could have their properties drastically depreciated
while being damaged by noise pollution and an eyesore from the trains and won't necessarily
receive compensation for this. The homeowners may receive compensation.
Social Benefits to the Local Community
HS2 consists of the social benefits such as on the new high speed line the traffic of the
long distance move from the current rail infrastructure. To improve the service of inter regional
and the locals the HS2 creates the extra room. Compare to the existing network the overcrowding
was reduced (Munro, 2021). The project of HS2 planned to carry approx 576,000 people per day.
The benefits are:
 Introducing the more frequent and the fastest services to the existing networks the HS2
creates the extra capacity by providing the new high speed line. The destinations which
do not have the direct link of rail in current was introduced between the new destination
service. There was the reduction of the crowd funding.

 Per day the HS2 trains will carry 576,000 people per day which will benefit in the
reduction of the overcrowding on its existing networks. Macclesfield, Shrewsbury,
Newark, Leamington Spa, Coventry, Leicester, Newcastle and Nottingham were included
in the cities and the towns across the country. Several dozen villages were also benefited
through it (Miller, 2021).
 To the HS2 trains the 54 stations will not be covered out of the 73 location which could
be benefit from the capacity of the HS2 released. To the industry of the rail freight there
would be the massive implications on the increased HS2 free capacity on the network of
rail.
 Per day there will be created a space for the 144 extra freight trains. Over each year it
will be able to carry lorries over 2.5 million worth of cargo. CO2 will reduce approx 76
percent through transporting the freight through the rail as compared to roads. The
journey in the UK was doubled from the past twelve years by the trains. HS2 should be
cancelled neither the wholly technically nor the financially feasible.
Financial Benefits of HS2 to UK
In UK the project of HS2 is the important and the key infrastructure project. To promote
and the development of the project the HS2 is responsible and commissioned. To the Leeds, in
London it would be approx 0.5 percent and the boos would be approx 1.6 percent.
Approximately 2.1 to 4.2 percent will be boosted to the economy of the Birmingham in a year.
To the Manchester there will benefit between 0.8 to 1.7 percent. From the 2033 the high speed
line will be extended to Leeds and the Manchester (Chen, 2020). In the next few years London
and the Birmingham will run the high speed line. To receive the better growth of the economy
and the system of transport it does not have to travel in the point of high speed two. In the
network the reduction in the congestion will also take into account.
In the project the passengers will travel at the places and additionally it can work while
the travelling. There will be the extra seat benefit. These different way project benefits were
calculated. Over the 60 years the HS2 project will benefit the economy in the wider area. It was
expected to the £13.3 billion profit to the UK economy. Across the UK the peoples and the
business will benefit in creating of the thousand of jobs and the opportunities (Brock and
Goodey, 2022). To the passengers there will be availability of mores seats and the connection
will be improved between the cities and there will be the significant benefits. For the HS2 project

there was already provided up to 6000 jobs. To support the project there will be delivered by the
2000 businesses for the work. Due to the HS2 the Britain will receive the opportunity of leading
as the important sector in the world.
Conclusion
It has been concluded from the above essay that the environment of the built refers to the
living in the encompassed building, the bridges and the roads, transportation system and the
water and electricity providing system. The buildings, roads are the examples of the built
environment. Further, the essay discussed the construction industries various sectors and
investigated on it. The essay provided the background information of the HS2 which is located in
the UK. Types of activities of the HS2 project was described in the essay. Further, the essay
identified the starting and the completion of the HS2 project. The essay discussed the life cycle
of the project. Moreover, the essay defined the professional bodies roles and the responsibilities
in the involvement to the HS2 project. The project was started in 2020 and the project of HS2 is
still in the progress for the development. The essay also discussed the contribution of the
professional bodies toward the project completion by illustrating through the tables and the
graphs. The stakeholders involved in the HS2 are the local authorities, TfL, train operating
companies, the agencies of main road, operating companies and the canal and the rivers trust,
utilities companies. Further, the essay discussed the social benefits to the HS2 project which will
be brought to the local community. Lastly, the essay described the benefit of the financials on the
economy of the UK through the project. Through the HS2 project the company generates several
profits as there was the contribution of the government for the project. There were several social
benefits from the HS2 project as it provided the 6000 jobs to the businesses. The total of 576,000
people will be travelled per day through the train. The carriage will be transported through the
HS2 projects.

REFERENCES
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