HS2’s Interchange station obtains planning approval

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Plans for HS2’s Interchange station have been approved by Solihull Council, with the planner’s report saying the design creates “an exciting contextual response to its setting”.

The Approval includes the surrounding landscape and public realm, along with the Automated People Mover that will link to the NEC, Birmingham International Station and Birmingham Airport, carrying up to 2,100 passengers per hour in each direction, with a service every three minutes along a 2.3km route.

The station will be at the heart of the HS2 network in the Midland. Its design recently became the first railway station globally to achieve the BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ certification at the design stage – a measure of sustainability for new and refurbished buildings – putting it in the top 1% of buildings in the UK for eco-friendly credentials.

The will makes use of renewable technologies, using natural ventilation, daylight, harvested rainwater and solar energy to cut carbon. The council’s planning team said that the design of the station “draws upon the historic and agricultural character of the local area and delivers a strong sense of place and identity through its architectural form and the design of its landscape”.

HS2 stations director Matthew Botelle said: ““We’re extremely pleased to receive approval for the design of Interchange station, which will be net zero carbon in operation, and adopts the latest eco-friendly design and sustainable technologies. The operation of our stations will play a key role in the UK’s fight against climate change and achieving net-zero carbon emissions by 2050.

“Our architects and engineers have worked together with landscape architects, soil scientists, ecologists and water specialists to develop a truly unique, landscape-led, contextual proposition which draws on the local Arden setting for its inspiration, with lots of new habitats for wildlife.”

“We have also worked with our local stakeholders to design a station that considers future major growth plans around the site. These are being led by the Urban Growth Company, will support 70,000 new and existing jobs, 5,000 new homes and 650,000m2 of commercial space across the UK Central Hub, generating £6.2bn GVA per year and bringing 1.3m people to within a 45-minute public transport commute of the station.”

HS2’s design consultant ARUP has worked closely with their landscape architects Churchman Thornhill Finch to develop a design which celebrates the local context and biodiversity of its native landscape associated with the Forest of Arden.

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View of HS2 Interchange station from the lake.

Kim Quazi, director at ARUP Architects said: “Creating the world’s most sustainable station has always been at the heart of HS2’s design vision and this planning approval is testament to everything we have been working towards. This represents a significant milestone for station design and a step forward in our quest for greener rail.

“From the striking roof supported by light-weight glulam timber – inspired by the form of a leaf – to the green open spaces, everything has been selected to minimise the station’s carbon footprint and ensure that it reflects its surroundings and unique location.

“Equally significant is the approval for the Automated People Mover, which links Interchange Station directly to the NEC, Birmingham International Rail Station and Birmingham International Airport. A truly modern, world-class, elevated connection has been designed to complement its varying settings and includes new crossings of the M42 motorway and the West Coast mainline”.

Chris Churchman, director at Churchman, Thornhill Finch added: “In our design, we wanted to capture the essence of the Warwickshire landscape of small fields, enclosed by hawthorn hedges punctuated by oak trees. It reconciles and humanises the large-scale station structure within the type of rural landscape expressed by the great British landscape painter John Constable.

“The design celebrates biodiversity through the use of signature native tree species supplemented by more unusual natives, notably crab apples, wild pear and plum. These are set within native hedges featuring a mix of blackthorn, hawthorn, hazel, dogwood, dog rose and elder.”

Through HS2’s broader landscape design and ecology work, vast amounts of information on local habitats have been gathered and overlaid with data from National Forestry and Ancient Woodland inventories. This has enabled a planting strategy which reflects a changing palette of woodland types, hedgerows and wildlife habitats. It includes plant species that are not only responsive to climate change but also to the local geology, hydrology, soil structure and landscape character alongside the railway.

Next steps include continuing to work with SMBC and stakeholders on maximising the development opportunities around the site, awarding the construction partner contract in 2022, and construction is planned to start in 2024.

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