Letters to the Editor - We need HS2 details now

Published: 22 April, 2010

• DOZENS of Primrose Hill residents have been in touch with us in the past few days, as well as the 100-plus who attended last week’s packed meeting (Residents demand answers over High Speed Two, April 15) because, ridiculously in this age of easy communications, no one has bothered to let residents know what is proposed.
Many of us support modernising our rail system – with only 10 per cent of the carbon footprint of road or air – but we need our chance to understand this Labour government proposal and
what alternatives have or haven’t been considered.
Is investing £30billion of our money really justified? Or is there a cheaper way. Does the route have to come under Primrose Hill village itself?
Or could it go under the park instead. Their first “consultation” deadline is May 20 and we must fight to get this deferred.
The tunnels as currently proposed run directly under hundreds of Chalcot Road, Chalcot Square and King Henry’s Road properties and we have an email from HS2 in which they say “properties directly above a tunnel... will experience a small amount of settlement during construction”.
HS2 say they will “make good such effects”, but why not avoid such effects and the anxiety and cost involved by routing under the park?
If there is a good reason why not we must know.
A letter has been circulated locally from a senior Labour figure which fails to mention that it is a Labour government which has made this proposal (and has failed to inform residents properly) and conveniently misrepresents the Liberal Democrat stated position, which is we “welcome the proposals... that does not mean we are absolutely committed to every single detail of the proposed route... that is a matter for public consultation” (Hansard March 30). But proper consultation depends on proper information, and there is a real failure here.
NAZIA GOFAR
CHRIS NAYLOR
CHRIS RICHARDS
Liberal Democrat Candidates in Primrose Hill