There are several environmental effects that would be realised at a project-wide or route-wide level, rather than affecting specific areas or locations within the context of a route section. These include the following:
- Carbon – Considering how East West Rail would affect levels of carbon dioxide emissions and of other greenhouse gases, and therefore impact on national objectives towards achieving net zero.
- Materials and waste – Considering the overall needs for raw materials on the project, as well as the generation of waste products, and how these might be accommodated respectively within the supply chain and national waste management facilities.
- Socio-economic change – As well as specific impacts on community facilities and local jobs, East West Rail is expected to have a far-reaching impact within the UK as a whole, in terms of economic benefits and growth. This will be the focus of the project’s business case but would be summarised in the Environmental Statement (ES).
- Wider transport impacts – As well as the effects of the project on local people’s travelling experience on the road and rail network, the project (and East West Rail as a whole) would be expected to have wider effects on the transport network.
In addition, multiple environmental impacts at different locations may act in combination to result in wider effects; for example impacts on protected species as a whole, depletion or restoration/enhancement of habitats, and depletion of soil resources. These are referred to as combined effects.
These will be reported in the ES, following the completion of the specific assessment workstreams.
