Land referencing for HS2 - Case Study

Client: HS2 Limited

Duration: 2009 – Ongoing

Project: Land Referencing and Property Information Management Services

Land Referencing Project Description

In support of the development of a high-speed railway from London to Birmingham, TerraQuest provided Full Referencing Services for the London Metropolitan and West Midlands Metropolitan Areas, in support of the preparation and submission of a Book of Reference for the Hybrid Bill and ongoing updates following Bill deposit. Post deposit, TerraQuest has provided a Full Access Licence Service supporting HS2 in the preparation and management of entry for early survey purposes, through full referencing services supported the Land Acquisition programme for Area North.

In 2019, TerraQuest is responsible for the referencing of and the continual refreshing of more than 6,000 parties and interests, including major land owners.

TerraQuest Services Delivered

• Full land referencing service including initial desktop research, site visits and issue of
  questionnaires to all parties with land interests
• Compilation of referencing schedules and Book of Reference
• Preparation of land plans showing the various powers to be acquired at different levels across
  the scheme
• Delivery of landowner notices, and posting and monitoring of site notices (c.20,000 p.a.)
• Draft and Final Book of Reference and Plan Submissions based on desktop research and full
  contact referencing for over 1,200 Land Acquisition Areas (LAAs) in last 12 months
• Liaison with consultation, engineering, Utility Companies, MLOs, legal and environmental teams
  over property issues and acquisition methods
• Proactive advice on property issues
• Stakeholder Engagement

Benefits

• Advice based on experience gained from Crossrail/CTRL/HS1, West Coast Main Line
• High Quality and consistent property information
• Dedicated team of highly skilled technical and management
• Improved communication and sharing of information across the extended HS2 Project Team,
  improving efficiency and decision making
• Provision of consistent property and land ownership advice from the initial survey access and
  consultation stages up to and beyond bill deposit.
• Provision of a rigorous audit trail of evidence throughout land acquisition activities

TerraQuest provide land referencing services for most major infrastructure projects throughout the UK. For more information, please do not hesitate to contact us.

Here's an infographic of information about the HS2 project: