Come and see HS2 plan changes

It informs us of a consultation information event taking place for our area in Cubbington village hall on Tuesday May 28, between noon and 8pm. The information on display will focus on the environmental impact of HS2 and will be the result of more than a year’s work by HS2 Ltd engineers and environmentalists. It will include information that we haven’t seen before such as noise maps.

I would urge all residents of Offchurch, Cubbington and Weston-under-Wetherley to find some time to attend this “walk in” event. There they will see that the route design has changed significantly from the one that we were consulted on in the summer of 2011, largely as the result of cost-saving measures necessitated by escalating project costs. So, for example, the trackbed has been raised by up to nearly nine metres in places, making the railway far more intrusive.

HS2 Ltd has also introduced some very large earthworks. These are ostensibly to screen the railway, but also reduce the costs of disposal of excavated spoil. None of the mitigation measures suggested by local community representatives have been incorporated into the HS2 Ltd design. Our community needs to let HS2 know that the current route proposals are highly unsatisfactory.

The event will give residents the chance to question and challenge HS2 Ltd representatives on the results of their labours. Members of the Offchurch and Cubbington action groups also plan to be on hand to help visitors to interpret what they learn. Both action groups plan to hold further information sessions of their own during June; details of these events will be published when they have been finalised.

Peter Delow,Chairman Cubbington Action Group against HS2