High Speed 2
After an extensive review of the published documents and honest discussions with the residents of the town, Aylesbury Town Council is pleased to submit its response to the High Speed 2 consultation process.
Aylesbury Town Council stands opposed to the HS2 proposals.
The Town Council is extremely concerned about the distinct lack of meaningful public or parliamentary engagement surrounding the HS2 line - it essential that projects of such scale are subject to rigorous scrutiny which has been so far absent.
The Town Council is also particularly troubled about the route’s negative effect on the environment, particularly on the Chiltern Hills and local green spaces. This is compounded by the physical mitigation proposals which inadequately compensate for the ill effects of the line. Noise pollution is of particular concern since much of the line will pass the town on viaduct.
Aylesbury Town Council is also skeptical of HS2 Ltd’s claim that £44.3 bn will be generated to bolster the economy. With little evidence to support this claim, the Town Council resolves that money should be spent on the existing rail network which is in need of redevelopment.
With these concerns in mind Aylesbury Town Council has called upon the Government, in the strongest terms possible, to ensure that individuals and organizations are adequately compensated for blight, should HS2 be built. At present there is far too much uncertainty about the nature and scope of the compensation measures.
HS2’s close proximity to the town has been a common feature of local public debate since the plans were unveiled. Residents of the town are invited to submit their views over the HS2 proposals to the Department of Transport. The deadline for the Department of Transport’s consultation period is the 29th July 2011.
Aylesbury Town Council’s full response, including all seven consultation questions, can be downloaded here.
The HS2 special projects thumbnail and the above banner are (c) FreeFoto, and are used under Creative Commons license: CC BY-NC-ND 3.0.