Primrose Hill residents demand answers over High Speed Two

Published: 15 April 2010
by JOSIE HINTON

MORE than 100 Primrose Hill residents attended a meeting last night (Wednesday) to express their concerns about plans for a high speed rail tunnel under their homes. 

The meeting heard that the plans, announced last month, would allow 105,000 passengers per day to travel between London and Birmingham at speeds of up to 220mph, reaching 111mph under Primrose Hill. Leaving Euston above ground, the new line would result in the demolition of 350 council homes in Regent’s Park before going below ground at Delancey Street. It would then run beneath Primrose Hill, emerging at Paddington.

Last night residents packed into the Primrose Hill Community Centre to air their fears over noise disturbance, damage to homes and a sudden drop in property prices.

Pippa Nelson, who lives in Princess Road, said: “Primrose Hill is a big tourist attraction as well as being a conservation area. This will completely change the nature and character of the area.”

Residents also demanded to know why the track could not be built beneath existing train lines, instead of under their homes. High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, the firm set up by the government to consider the case, has previously stated that the existing tunnels are not big enough to allow for the line. The meeting was organised by local councillors Pat Callaghan, Labour, and Chris Naylor, Lib Dem, but noticeably absent were representatives from High Speed Two (HS2) Ltd, who were unable to attend due to the strict rules governing civil servants in the run-up to the general election.

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