This website uses cookies so that we can provide you with the best user experience possible. Cookie information is stored in your browser and performs functions such as recognising you when you return to our website and helping our team to understand which sections of the website you find most interesting and useful.
Temple is pleased to update on the work our air quality team have been doing, working closely with Costain Skanska Joint Venture (CSjv) and High Speed Two Limited (HS2L) to manage emissions from the HS2 enabling works construction activities by providing an extensive network of air quality monitoring services along the route from Camden’s Euston Station to Hillingdon’s West Ruislip Portal. At its peak, this included rigorous monitoring of 48 continuous particulate matter monitors and 135 nitrogen dioxide (NO2) diffusion tubes. The data collected has been used to mitigate construction dust impacts and deploy strict dust control, and also to monitor pollutant concentrations close to sensitive receptors along the construction vehicle routes. The monitored data is published on a public-facing platform by HS2L for each local authority every month.
The diffusion tube survey is one of the largest surveys in the country spanning seven London boroughs, in some instances collecting more data than the local boroughs themselves. Temple has used a combination of public transport and ultra-low emission Vehicles/ electric vehicles to minimise our contributions to air pollutant emissions during the survey.
The original particulate matter monitor installations were powered by street lighting columns. In Camden, some of these street lighting columns have been further adapted to become electric vehicle charging points. All the newest particulate matter monitor installations on construction sites are powered by hydrogen fuel cell generators, which have replaced diesel generators which therefore reduces local air pollution associated with the operation of the monitors. Many of the installations in the Hillingdon area have introduced renewable energy in the form of solar panels and wind turbines to power the continuous particulate matter monitors. The result is that these monitors have minimised the disruption to local residents as well as mitigated and reduced the environmental and health impacts of the project during the enabling phase.
Temple Group’s air quality team were involved in the assessment stage with modelling the HS2 HDVs as Euro VI, which has now become the Euro standard that all HS2 associated HDVs must meet. They also managed the strict dust control that was in place monitoring and reporting throughout. Temple is also involved with rigorous monitoring of dust and NO2.as well as the diffusion tube surveys using hybrid vehicles to reduce pollution. See the Solar and Wind powered Osiris monitor, in action on site here.
Read more about HS2’s plans to improve air quality across the project here.