Democracy in action?
Wendover residents are outraged that despite submitting their petitions to the House of Lords within the required deadline, some 50% of them have been objected to on a “locus standi” on the grounds that they are not “directly or specially affected”.
Wendover is one of the largest communities directly on the HS2 route and is being affected disproportionately by the scheme. Arguably every one of the 8500 residents will be affected in some way whether they live within 60 metres of the line or 6000 metres. A massive civil engineering project will cut through the heart of the village, yet Wendover has been denied the right to petition for better mitigation. The vast majority of petitions submitted requested that a long tunnel be constructed to protect Wendover and the surrounding area (much of which is classed as an AONB) from some of the impact of the construction of this expensive, ill-judged project.
The evidence presented by the local community to the House of Commons Select Committee over the past six months covered wide-ranging impacts on the local area on hydrogeology, noise, transport disruption and damage to local business, as well as a gross visual impact on the Chilterns AONB. Yet again HS2 Ltd has demonstrated its inability to engage with the people most affected and has acted with dictator-like arrogance in trying to ban their constitutional right to petition against the current plans. They are refusing to listen, but perhaps more worrying is their attempt to deny the House of Lords the opportunity of listening to the voice of the people. This is obviously an attempt to pull the wool over their Lordships’ eyes, we are hoping it fails to do so.
Is this really “Democracy in Action”?
Wendover HS2