ERM Temple Group Mott MacDonald Consortium has clinched two of the four contracts to carry out the environmental impact assessments.

The team will work on the most contentious London metropolitan area and rural south section covering Buckinghamshire, Hertfordshire, Oxfordshire and Northamptonshire.

Each job is worth around £7m and will continue up to the deposit of the hybrid bill by the end of 2013.

Atkins will carry out the EIA for the Rural North section covering Warwickshire and Staffordshire for a £5.5m fee.

Arup supported by URS will carry out the EIA for the West Midlands metropolitan area covering Birmingham and Solihull for £5m.

The successful companies will work closely with HS2’s environment, design and engineering teams to help reduce the environmental impacts of the scheme, from London to the West Midlands.

This work will contribute to the Environmental Statement, which will be deposited along with other documents in Parliament for the hybrid bill.

David Tonkin, Atkins’ UK chief executive officer, said: “The need to provide more modern transport infrastructure is vital, but must be done in a way which is sensitive to the communities and environments through which it will pass.

“The Environmental Impact Assessments will help better understand the potential impact of the new line so full consideration can be given to any appropriate mitigation measures.

“Having worked on HS2 since 2009 and managed the transformation of East London from industrial wasteland to a sustainable Olympic Park, our people have the experience and expertise to help keep the environmental impact of HS2 to a minimum.”