East West Rail (EWR) recently contacted Richard to advise him that from April they would begin the first phase of ground investigations for the railway in Bedford Borough, following a three month pause in Bedford borough in December 2024 as a result of the Cleat Hill tragedy.
Ground investigations are required to provide information about the soil, rock, and groundwater below the surface to help in the design of the railway and to draw up designs that reduce project costs, construction risks, and the amount of land needed.
Richard Fuller MP said:
Ground investigations in Bedford Borough were paused following the tragic incident at Cleat Hill in October 2024. I wrote to EWR in December 2024 raising my concerns about borehole drilling in Ravensden following the tragic events at Cleat Hill which led to the works being paused. I then met with EWR this February to understand the precautions and mitigations they would be undertaking in order to restart the investigations. That delay has given EWR more time to consider and apply additional safety precautions that go beyond standard industry practice. The period has been used to work with geotechnical experts to review procedures and implement robust and safe methods of operation for drilling boreholes and managing ground gas risk.
EWR have committed to work closely with local landowners to make specific arrangements ahead of any ground investigations on their land, including treating landowners, their land, property and personal data with respect; making health and safety a priority; being clear and transparent with landowners; and keeping potential damage or disruption to their land to a minimum. The ground investigations are expected to take place over several months, with the duration of individual surveys varying depending on the type of investigation. I am told it is unlikely that they will cause any significant disturbance to communities and working hours are strictly limited to 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.
If you are affected by these ground investigations, please let me know your feedback at [email protected] on whether the process is as safe, respectful and considered as EWR have assured me it will be.
You can find out more about the tragic incident at Cleat Hill at https://www.richardfuller.co.uk/campaigns/cleat-hill
You can read about Richard's concerns in December 2024 with the borehole drilling investigations at https://www.richardfuller.co.uk/news/richard-meets-east-west-rail-discuss-borehole-drilling-ravensden
Richard's view on East West Rail can be read at https://www.richardfuller.co.uk/ewr
