CPRE have produced maps showing the effects of HS2. They have three maps, showing the landscape impact, the operational impact and the construction impact. All three maps can be zoomed, allowing a close look at potential areas.
They can be viewed at http://hs2maps.com
The construction map shows just how far away from the actual route people will be effected by construction, with construction HGVs potentially going as far away as Milton Keynes and Watford. It also includes positions of construction compounds and stockpiles of material, as well as temporary and permanent route diversions for roads and footpaths.
The operational map includes noise contours and the ‘Zone of Theoretical Visibility’, both at the time of opening and fifteen years after, along phase 1 of HS2. Details include landscaping and engineering earthworks.
CPRE point out that “where HS2 would be on an embankment or viaduct, all other things being equal, the noise will spread further and it will be more visible than where would run at grade (at surface level) or in a cutting.”