HS2 legal appeal rulings due tomorrow – Wednesday 24th July.

Rulings on Judicial Review appeals concerning HS2 will be handed down by the Court of Appeal at the Royal Courts of Justice, after 10am. The appeal cases claimed that the 2011 consultation was illegal because it did not provide enough information and that the project breaches environmental legislation.  The High Court previously ruled that a consultation on compensation was “So unfair as to be illegal.”

Stop HS2 Campaign Manager, Joe Rukin said:

“The way people on Phase 2 of HS2 were not consulted on the principle of HS2 in 2011 may not have been illegal, but it was immoral. In the same way, the cursory glance which has been given to the environmental destruction HS2 would cause might not be illegal, but it is criminal.”

“The defence so far from the Department for Transport hasn’t been that they have done everything properly so far, but that it doesn’t matter because no decision on HS2 has been made. Over 1.1bn is due to be spent before the election and a Bill asking for a blank cheque to spend on HS2 is going through Parliament, but they say no decisions have been made?”

“Every day more people find out more about HS2 and realise just what a bad idea it is. That isn’t going to chance any time soon, so  it’s time to put this Whitehallephant down.”

Penny Gaines, chair of Stop HS2 said

“The Government have already been found to be acting illegally in the earlier hearings.  It’s vital that the Government make decisions in the right way but Peter Mandelson amongst a host of others  has already said that the last Government made a political decision for electoral reasons.  It’s time that the current Government saw this project for what it is –  an exorbitant white elephant – and cancelled it before spending any more of taxpayers money on it.”

,
2 comments to “HS2 legal appeal rulings due tomorrow – Wednesday 24th July.”
  1. HS2 a pre-electoral ‘wheeze’ has become a political frankenstein’s monster.
    Designed for political ‘good” it is out of control and damaging to environment and lives.
    The putative good becomes less and less probable whatever the spin.

    Hs2 has shown up deficiencies in the Parliamentary democratic process and indeed the Judicial Process.
    However this is not suprising for the Judicial process upholds the laws determined and created by the Parliament.
    There has been no adequate review of the scheme prior to vast expenditure and generation of trauma in many peoples lives.

    HS2 shows that a political wheeze can develop autonomy, its own govt. owned Ltd company and spend a fortune, on a project that remained a legal plan only and was under Lord Ousely prematurely challenged under law (except for compensation).

    In its wider significance, given what we know of the blights and trauma, the environmental damage (even that in the DES, the reality will be far worse) and the use of dark arts PR it really begs the question.

    Can we trust Parliament with the stewardship of the English natural and built environment (and the financial probity of tax income/debt of all four nations). In frank can we trust them with England anymore?
    From the debates todate the answer would seem to be a resounding NO!

    • In fact HS2 is worse that poll tax. It is Camerons poll tax and Concorde in one plus huge damage to the English countryside.
      At least Poll tax was rescindable /reversible.
      Concorde was a white elephant that could be written down.
      The damage of HS2 is not and its ever weakening benefits are local not national.
      Also it is costing every household in the four nations 2,000 pounds and rising!

Comments are closed.

2010-2023 © STOP HS2 – The national campaign against High Speed Rail 2