The facts
Project Location: North London
Client: National Grid
Start Date: September 2006
Completion Date: Still Ongoing
Services provided:
- Planning and Environmental Consenting
- Route Selection and Feasibility Studies
- Design Support
- Architectural Design for Headhouses
- River Bank Breach Analysis
- Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) comprising of full
environmental assessment in:
- Planning Policy
- Traffic and Transportation
- Air Quality
- Flood Risk and Surface Water
- Hydrogeology
- Land Contamination
- Archaeology and Built Heritage
- Landscape and Visual Impact
- Ecology, Arboriculture and Nature Conservation
- Electromagnetic Effects
- Socio Economics
- Waste Management
The project
National Grid undertook a feasibility
assessment of the existing high voltage cable routes feeding
London, with a view to their ability to serve the London
transmission system into the next decade. This led to the
identification of three new routes and asset replacement of seven
existing circuits.
The assessment also identified the need to
construct deep bored tunnels instead of the traditional direct
burial in trenches approach and as such the National Grid executive
approved the London Cable Strategy, which optimises the asset
replacement programme and provides for the longer term need of the
London transmission system taking into account anticipated demand
growth. This Strategy culminated in the sanctioning of a new
Hackney to St John’s Wood and the St John’s Wood to Willesden
400 kV circuit to be installed via deep bore cable tunnel.
Capita Symonds provided full multidisciplinary
environmental services to National Grid, the design team and
Donaldson Associates with regard to the feasibility and
environmental assessment of the installation of two deep bore cable
tunnels within North London.
Initially instructed at the feasibility stage,
Capita Symonds provided key input into routing and site selection
process identifying locations where environmental and planning
constraints that could be managed.
After the initial feasibility studies we
continued to provide environmental design advice with an aim of
reducing the overall environmental impact of the proposals. This
role included the bespoke architectural design of the headhouse
buildings to ensure that they complimented the local townscape -
responding to the individual needs of each location, incorporating
where possible green, sedum or living roofs. The shaft site /
headhouse locations were also located to minimise traffic movements
associated with waste disposal and staff travel.
We are also currently managing and undertaking
the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for the project.