Wendover Parish Council HS2 update – June 2022

The results of the Parish Council HS2 Survey are now in and available on our website. There were 104 responses of which 92.3% were in favour of our continued push for mitigation. The highest priorities were environmental impacts at about 60%, noise at 43%, then water/flooding, traffic and loss of businesses and homes (community) all at about 20%. As a result the Working Group will continue to press the Government and HS2 to consider our needs and concerns in a more proactive manner.

Our recent letter to Clive Maxwell CBE, Director General, High Speed Rail Group, about the lack of positive engagement with either HS2 Ltd, Ministry of Transport and HS2 Minister, has been put back again by his reply, and I quote:

“I note your suggestion that the relevant Schedule 17 applications relating to Wendover have been delayed. I do not believe this to be material to any further consideration to the proposals for alternative mitigations, given the fundamental point that Ministers and I are satisfied that any of the suggested interventions in the briefing paper would entail significant redesign work, resulting in major schedule and cost implications.”

(see wendover-pc.gov.uk for the full reply)

We are clearly working on an uphill battle to try to get any traction for changes to the design in the Act, but will continue to work on your behalf.

Sheila Bulpett
Chair, WPC HS2 Working Group