The first HS2 consultation roadshow opened near Euston station yesterday.
Day 1 of the HS2 consultation roadshow
A number of Stop Hs2 supporters went to have a look round, and take the opportunity to speak to the HS2 staff present.
It was hard though to know who was on the HS2 staff.
They had name tags on lanyards, but a number of HS2 employees had tucked the name tags behind their suit jackets, so that a casual passerby could not tell who to question about the scheme.
I did comment on this to one of the HS2 employees: numerous office workers in the area also had name tags on lanyards tucked behind their suit jackets so how was someone to know whether a particular person standing round standing round was there to answer questions? He said if they are still there after a few minutes, it probably meant they were on the staff. I tried this out: and asked a woman in a green suit who had been standing by the leaflets for some time whether she was part of the display. She wasn’t.
Alison Munro, HS2 Ltd’s CEO, was there (with her name badge on display).
It was lucky it was a nice day: many of the leaflets were in a pile of cardboard boxes dumped next to one of the gazebos. At first people helped themselves to copies of the leaflets from here, but later on the boxes had vanished.
Other leaflets, marked “do not remove” were held down by rocks, to avoid them blowing away from the gazebo. If it had been raining it would have been a miserable exhibition.
The mobile trailer was quite small: maybe they were not planning for many visitors, or maybe they were relying on the weather. And on the location list on the interactive display they had missed out Quainton, and possibly other locations as well. (The Quainton map was there, but you needed to look for it.)
If you were there, would you like to share your impression?
say the government didnt build hs2 and went for the rp2, rp3 packages etc which would actually cost more, but thats another story.
it is inconceivable that this upgrade would not cause huge disruption and blight to anybody living on or travelling on the line. is is also inconceivable that properties would not be blighted and that there would be compulsory purchases as upgrading ultimately means building new lines and flyovers etc.
or if the government didnt do rp2 or hs2 and the demand for travel continued then ultimately new motorways and maybe runways would be needed. pollution would increase for everyone and again properties would be blighted and sold by compulsory purchase.
Yes Gary I was answering Nick and sarcasticly saying that I supposed he didn’t seem to think that these people mattered.Of course you knew that, and like ‘poking people with a stick to see the reaction.Wonder if you were a bully at school?wouldnt supprise me.Anyway more people are seeing HS2 for the flawed project that it is as the
telegraph article above shows.
Ah yes Elaine – sarcasm comes across so well on an internet blog.
The telegraph article is pretty much the same as whats printed so far anyway – some journalist goes and interview a few business owners to get their views etc etc …always has and always will happen. I couldnt help but notice one of the businessmen owned a business making truck bodies……obviously aware that potentially bad news for his business as less HGVs on the road once capacity is freed up.
Gary I would appreciate if you did not quote me out of context and therefore having what I said mean the opposite.
ie what I wrote to Nick as a question.I have not done that to YOU.I thought this was a discussion not IM GOING
TO TWIST YOUR WORDS TO MAKE YOU LOOK SILLY.Just because a move was benefitial to you,and i’m glad that it was.It does not mean this is always the case.Your views seem very narrow minded. I suggest you try to think
of how things are from others point of view it could make you a nicer person.
Elaine – I havent quoted you out of context, I ve simply copied and pasted what you posted……
Yes – a move was beneficial to me…..as it will be to thousands of others faced with the same situation.
The compulsory purchases aren’t going to take place for years, but there are people who want to move now and can’t. I was talking to someone who was about to exchange contracts and downside when the announcement happened last year, so the buyer dropped out.
They can’t sell to the EHS because “being in your 70s and wanting to downsize while you are healthy enough to settle in somewhere new” isn’t a good enough reason to be accepted. By the time they got compulsory purchased – if they were eligible to be compulsory purchased – they would be too old to settle in easily.
Joanne – where in the EHS does it say anything about ” being in your 70s?”.
The EHS is a discretionary scheme – there is actually no legal obligation. Anyone who wants to apply can do provided they meet the 5 criteria. Application is then put before a panel and judged on its merits. Once the route is legally defined, any property that needs to be purchased will do so..
That’s the point – they don’t meet the criteria now, so they can’t move now. You said being forced to move, by compulsory purchase, was great for you, but they are in the opposite situation, which is bad for them.
Have made reasonable efforts to sell, which the scheme says means: actively marketed it preferably with a recognised agent, and for at least 3 months and at a realistic price. The inability to sell needs to be due to HS2 (not another reason).
· Had no offer within 85% of the open market value property price ie its unblighted value
· Did not know about HS2 when originally purchasing the property.
Joanne – the above are 3 of the criteria for EHS…….so the situation you describe shouldnt be an issue from what I can see…..
Gary, you know they have to meet all five criteria, but you’ve only put three things down. They have to meet the others as well. Why didn’t you post all the criteria?
Joanne – the other 2 are …….Do you own the property, and., is it on or near the route…..
Which I m sure you would know anyway seen as though you guys have done all the research……
Gary, I don’t know where you are getting your information from, but you have missed the hardest criteria to satisfy – a “pressing need to sell”. You need to satisfy this as well as the other criteria.
If you want to discuss it sensibly, you should look at the Exceptional Hardship Scheme information first on the HS2 website.
Q.1) Do you have a qualifying interest in the property which you wish the Government to buy?
Q.2) Is your property
i directly on the line of the proposed route? or
ii in such close proximity to the proposed route that it would be likely to be
substantially adversely affected by the construction or operation of the
new line, if it were to go ahead along that route?
Q.3) Have you made all reasonable efforts to sell your property and still not received an offer within 15% of its unaffected open market property value (that is the price it would most likely have achieved, assuming a normal or non-urgent sale period, other than for the announcement of the proposed route for a high speed rail line)?
Q.4) Did you buy your property before you could be reasonably expected to have been aware of the high speed rail proposals?
Q.5) Do you have a pressing need to sell your property and would you suffer exceptional hardship if you had to wait until such time, following consultation, as the Government decides on any final route and statutory and new arrangements to assist affected property owners come into force (expected to be in late 2011)?
Just to clarify word for word from the document Penny has kindly highlighted.
Penny – I guess your probably fuming a bit……but dont worry , it goes with the territory when you feel so passionate about something, and you create a website where you can be shot at. Im glad you have an opposing view to me…….might not be the right one, but I m glad you have it. And if you guys happen to post something to which I agree with, I m only too glad to back you up…
This was a disgrace considering it was the first of the roadshows.
The only people going in were from existing action groups.Passers by had no idea what it was about.
this only compounds my view that the London stretch of the route has been severely overlooked.Londoners have
no idea of the impact this project will bring.
Ruislip is the first of the fixed exhibitions over 2 days.
Please come and support us! we will be protesting between 6 and 8pm on 30th and 31st.
http://www.ruislip-against-hs2.co.uk for more info
http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=360986966901
This was an utter disgrace given it was the first day of the official roadshows.
The only people I saw going in were from existing action groups. Passers by had no clue what it was all about.
This just compounds my view that the London stretch of the line has been so over looked.Londoners have no idea what the impact will be.
The Ruislip ‘roadshow’ will be the first proper exhibition(although I’m not holding my breath!)
Please come and support our protest there if you can next wed and Thurs.
A couple more pics on our face book page.
http://www.ruislip-against-hs2.co.uk
Lottie – I agree passers by didn’t have a clue what was happening. There was no ‘consulting’ going on.
Well like I said….
Maybe there isnt as many people against it as you would like to believe. Maybe thats down to the fact that Londoners are seeing an ever improving transport system?? Such as Crossrail. Thameslink , North London line, St Pancras Upgrade, Kings Cross upgrade ……I could go on ….
Is it not the case that HS2 proposes to use the former Great Western / Great Central main line from Old Oak Common ?
Is its present semi derelict condition a feature to be cherished?
Chiltern Railways are upgrading their tracks through the area. Is that all right?
The route carried steam hauled express trains to Birmingham, Chester, the East Midlands and North Wales- and over noisy jointed track at that!
Were there objections when the Central Line (pre war) electric trains, running every few minutes, arrived in 1949? They were noisy enough (though after a couple of days we ceased to notice them )
Just down the A 40, at Acton, do you not remember the dozens of boarded up houses, “semi’s” built between the wars “with easy access to the Oxford Road” standing empty awaiting the road widening?
So, just what makes this scheme, whether or not you believe it would make a worthwhile contribution to the national network, so very different?
Will somebody please explain?
I would imagine that people would be at work, or quite a few at a loss what to ask ,many have not the knowlege or the confidence.Doesnt sound like those there were very helpful.I wonder how you would feel in there shoes, Gary
Possibly they could be moved to a new house but how far away from where they want to be.Would you want it to
happen to members of your family?The way you write you couldnt care less.
Elaine – if I was in the unfortunate position of being stuck in a tower block in Camden, I d only be too glad to get out…….
You guys are making the error of assuming every one who is affected is kicking up a fuss. Rest assured, having been victim of a compulsory purchase many years ago myself, some will be glad of it.
Gary – You are making the error in thinking we are stuck in a tower block and I can assure you we are not glad to get out.
This is our home. We have a great community and we love living here. Where do you think all these people are going to get out too?
elaine says:
March 25, 2011 at 1:11 pm
Of course Nick the 365 people in 6 council blocks apart from others along the line dont matter.On 90 year old
has been told that he wont know what he would get until june and that the government want 15% of it he doesnt know why.I do believe that less travel should be needed if more local businesses were helped to start.
I do hope you read the piece about govts environmental watchdogs findings.We could do with them being kept to keep an eye on things.
Excuse me jane, Im going off from what Elaine was telling us above…..are you saying she is wrong?
How come the photo was taken from some distance ?? Didnt you take any of the displays ???
Also looks to me like there aint many people there……considering 6 council tower blocks are to be demolished. I would assume that a tenant would simply get a choice of another residence??? Are their plans to build some more by the local council ( free of charge maybe?? ) to replace lost stock ?
Just whilst we are on the subject of wheelchairs – all rail rolling stock has to be DDA compliant in the not too distant future.
Alison Munroe is a disgrace and not fit for purpose. Her appearance on Countryfile (re HS2 through the Chilterns AONB) was laughable.
No wheelchair or pushchair access. Computer stations inside not accesible to anyone with disabilities (way too high up for a start). Wrong maps. Police called to ask our intentions – lovely gentleman who just chatted to us as we were not doing anything wrong apart from wearing StopHS2 T-shirts and talking to people. Trailer crushed all the wild flowers in the Square. Big Burly security people because the public are so intimidating. Alison Munroe could not confirm worst case/best case scenario on construction width (would be very easy to do so and show people how they could be affected). Only impressive thing was that the HS2 Ltd staff were actually there.