Local authorities prepare for HS2 consultation
The public consultation into the proposal to develop the country’s high speed rail is set to be launched on Monday.
The HS2 consultation will seek views on both the strategy for high speed rail and the details of the proposed route between London and Birmingham.
Warwickshire County Council will be examining in detail all of the information made available and will consider the business case for the scheme, as well as looking at topics such as the visual impact and the anticipated effects of noise and vibration, the impact on ecology, heritage and archaeology, agricultural land quality, farm severance and other community issues.
A full report will be prepared for a Cabinet meeting on 14 July. The report will agree the response to the consultation for the County Council to submit to HS2 Limited, the company set up by the Government to develop high speed rail.
The County Council resolved in December to oppose the High Speed Rail Scheme and ‘agreed to work with other local authorities affected by the planned HS2 route and with the action groups throughout Warwickshire to provide a co-ordinated opposition to the current scheme.’
Thirteen local authorities have joined forces to formally oppose the scheme and each of the councils has signed up to the following position statement: "The authorities along the route have come together to oppose the proposals for High Speed Rail as they are currently proposed.
“We do not believe that the business case stacks up and therefore cannot support the route suggested by Government and are actively working on a plan to strongly object to the proposals.
“We are opposed to the current High Speed rail proposals as they are presently outlined and do not believe that they are in the best interests of the UK as a whole in terms of the benefits claimed in the business case
“We are not opposed to the need for higher speed rail per se and fully acknowledge the need for strategic improvement to the national rail infrastructure but cannot agree with the current proposals as the economic and environmental benefits are not at all credible.
“We do not believe that all the other alternatives to achieve the transport capacity, regeneration and environmental benefits have been fully explored by the Government and with in excess of £30 billion proposed to be invested, we owe it to the nation to ensure these are fully explored."
The councils who have joined up are:
Buckinghamshire County Council
Aylesbury Vale District Council
Chiltern District Council
South Bucks District Council
Wycombe District Council
London Borough of Hillingdon
Cherwell District Council
Lichfield District Council
South Northants District Council
Warwickshire County Council
Warwick District Council
North Warwickshire Borough Council
Stratford-on-Avon District Council
For more information go to http://www.warwickshire.gov.uk/hs2