Is HS2 just the ticket for our ‘magnificent countryside’?
Author: By Marcus Blake, senior practitioner with Berrys in Northamptonshire
Last Updated: 11/17/2011 9:27:49 AM
Summary
Last week saw a Commons Transport Committee reporting that there is ‘a good case’ for the proposed HS2 high speed rail route set initially to link London to Birmingham, and then on to Manchester and Leeds as a second phase.
Article
The Committee's report stated: "Of course, we must ensure the
appropriate protections for our magnificent countryside", and
recognised that the Department for Transport's economic case
methodology does not put a monetary value on landscape costs.
As a result, the MPs called for a change of approach to
acknowledge the value of "natural capital", which may be much
higher than the market value of the land. This is something that
farmers and land owner, as custodians of the countryside, have
appreciated for centuries - at last this message appears to have
filtered through to Whitehall.
However, with so many recommendations for change, substantial
criticisms and further investigations required it is questionable
why the Committee could tentatively recommend HS2 to proceed,
especially when there is so much potential for damage to be done to
the British rural landscape and farmland.
Even after the MPs' own research, and 55,000 responses to the
2011 public consultation, the MPs involved are still not clear on
the economic benefits of the scheme. They are, however, confident
that the proposed £32 billion scheme represents "a new era of
inter-urban travel in Britain", cutting the travel time from London
to Birmingham to 49 minutes.
It is acknowledged by the MPs that the first phase of HS2 will
have a "substantial impact" on those along the route, stating that
it is "unfortunate" that it crosses the Chilterns Area of
Outstanding Natural Beauty. The Committee suggested that the noise
impact "may be less than feared" and encouraged the Government to
try to build a new line close to existing transport routes if
possible. This could cause even more concern and confusion for
property occupiers in the region, especially those close to the
existing motorway network.
We will now have to wait a few more weeks for the decision by
Secretary of State for Transport on the outcome of the
consultation. This will lead to the decision - after 18 months of
waiting - as to whether HS2 finally gets the go-ahead. For those
farmers affected, and the land agents advising them, action plans
will be formulated so that they do not get 'rail-roaded' by
HS2.
In the meantime, the Department for Transport inform us that
although it is impossible to eliminate local environmental impact
of HS2, it does believe that such impacts could be mitigated by
sensitive design. This will not reassure those in the countryside
that may one day witness trains travelling at up to 250 miles per
hour through 'our magnificent countryside'.
We at Berrys are already providing advice to farmers and land
owners who are facing the impact of HS2 on their property. We can
form a strategy to maximise the compensation they are rightly
entitled to, minimise the impact on any land that they retain, plus
ensure that their business has the best chance of operating during
and after the construction of HS2.
The Author
Marcus Blake can be contacted at the Kettering office of Berrys
on 01536 532389 email marcus.blake@berrybros.com
For more information about Berrys, please visit their website
here: www.berrybros.com