Politicians from four parties warn that High Speed 2 project would destroy Camden homes and bring years of building work havoc

Published: 7th July, 2011
by JOSIE HINTON

IT started as a handful of residents concerned about a rail tunnel being dug beneath their homes – but has developed into a boroughwide campaign with the support of politicians from all sides of the council chamber.

Their task is daunting but not impossible: get the government to dump HS2, the high-speed rail link from London to Birmingham which is set to change the face of Camden for ever. Demolition and disruption awaits if the project backed by key government figures gets the go-ahead. 

The anti-HS2 movement is not restricted to people in Camden – worried objectors can be found dotted along the line. But it’s here where the opposition has gathered a hurtling pace as lawyers, engineers and railway experts have picked apart the government’s economic and environmental arguments for the £32billion link.

The Pan-Camden HS2 Alliance, set up to fight plans for the superfast link between Euston and Birmingham, has won the support of councillors from all four political parties, if not all members of the groups.

Although concerned about the impact on Camden, the alliance has concentrated its attack on the government’s case. It knows that “Nimby” arguments alone risk being dismissed as self-interest by ministers.

This week, London Mayor Boris Johnson added his name to a list of opponents when he criticised the plans in a private letter to a campaigner, subsequently leaked to the media. He told colleagues that he could not support the scheme unless the complete London section of the line was in tunnels. His  Labour rival Ken Livingstone has publicly opposed the multi-billion pound project in the pages of the New Journal.

Camden’s Labour deputy leader and environment chief Councillor Sue Vincent will hope to ride the wave of this opposition when she addresses the House of Commons Transport Select Committee into HS2 on Tuesday.

The committee decided in February to investigate the arguments for and against the new link following pressure from campaigners.

In her evidence to the inquiry, Cllr Vincent will tell ministers the case for transforming Euston station into a mega-terminus for high-speed trains “is not made” and “the loss of homes, businesses and communities” in Camden cannot be justified.

She will say: “Camden opposes the HS2 and the terminus at Euston station. The proposals are not justified in transport or impact terms. Were high-speed rail to pro­gress, as currently proposed, Camden would need to be convinced that its needs are addressed at no cost to the council.”

If the line is built, construction work would see homes demolished in Euston and the Regent’s Park estate, with fears that large parts of the borough could be turned into a building site.

Cllr Vincent will express concern that years of work will create “havoc” around Euston station as well as a slower service on the North London line through Camden. 

The alliance has submitted a document questioning why other locations were ruled out for the terminus, suggesting Old Oak Common in west London could be the best option owing to its links to Heathrow and Crossrail.

The group says: “Worldwide, there can be few urban areas with such potential for accessibility and interchange as Old Oak Common. It is where two of the country’s main trunk railways converge and it potentially enables num­erous connections with the rest of the system. The urban surrounds include large tracts of derelict industrial space and there is both need and scope for industrial regeneration and new housing.” 

The argument has won the support of Labour MP Frank Dobson, who originally favoured Paddington as the terminus. He said: “I think people in that area [Old Oak Common] are keen on it for regeneration. If they want it and we don’t it seems like madness to force it on Euston.”  

The government’s consultation period on the proposals runs until July 29 but the alarm for opponents is that leading Coalition figures, including the Prime Minister, have spoken so warmly about the plans. 

Planning is at an advanced stage, even though Transport Secretary Philip Hammond lost a few friends when he described opponents to HS2 as Nimbys and compared them to Victorian protesters against the first railways in Britain.

Construction is due to begin in 2017 with the first trains running by 2025. It might seem like a long way off, but the battle is raging now.

Buffer zones: how the line will hit you

HS1-HS2 link through Camden Town: Double rail congestion.
The government is proposing to link the new HS2 line with the existing HS1 (Channel Tunnel) line, using the North London line.

This would mean high-speed trains travelling through Camden Town on lines currently used by passenger services and freight trains. 

The plans have caused concern among residents, who fear continuing noise disturbance as stations are virtually rebuilt to accommodate high-speed trains.

Transport for London (TfL) has warned that the use of the overground line by high-speed trains could cut passenger services.

TfL’s deputy chairman, Daniel Moylan, told a Transport Select Committee he had concerns about the use of the North London line for high-speed trains, which could affect the reliability and performance of London Overground services and limit the potential for future improvements in capacity and frequency.

Analysis undertaken by TfL London Rail suggests that a maximum of one high-speed train an hour per direction could use the link with no new infrastructure on the North London line, which is at odds with HS2 Ltd’s plans to run three trains an hour in each direction.

Lib Dem councillor Paul Braithwaite said: “The ill-thought-through single-track connection between HS1 and HS2, which has been added at the 11th hour, would operate to the detriment of existing Overground rail and freight services on the well-used North London line”

Regent’s Park: Estates to be demolished.
The area most significantly affected by HS2 is the Regent’s Park estate, where four housing blocks would be demolished.

The route would see the existing rail tracks under Hampstead Road bridge widened to allow trains to run straight through where Ainsdale, Eskdale, Silverdale and Stalbridge House currently stand.

HS2 Ltd has promised to replace council homes within Camden. But many leaseholders fear they will be priced out of the borough if their homes are demolished. Luis Sanchez, whose parents bought his flat under “right to buy”, said he would be forced to leave the estate he has lived on for 30 years. 

“I grew up here and never thought I would be in this position,” he said.

The lives of residents in neighbouring blocks of Cartmel, Coniston, Langdale and Granby House will be blighted by construction and the location of their homes next to the new line.

Alexandra and Ainsworth estate: Regeneration plans scuppered.
Residents of the Alexandra and Ainsworth estate – Rowley Way – will find their parade of shops demolished and replaced with a two-storey ventilation shaft.

The location of the vent, which will be 18 metres in diameter, has halted plans for the regeneration of the Langtry Walk shopping parade in South Hampstead. 

Last year, residents were told of proposals for a new primary care centre or other “exciting” developments such as social housing or a new entrance to the estate, as part of the second phase of a complete overhaul of the “Abbey area”. Council documents said the parade would be suitable for “a valuable range of redevelopment opportunities”.

Residents have branded the loss of shops serving the dense estate as  “unacceptable”. They fear noise as trains pass under the estate for its entire length, from Loudoun Road to Abbey Road. They will also pass under the Abbey Low Rise estate and Mortimer Crescent estate.

Kilburn councillor Mike Katz said: “Rowley Way is a grade II-listed estate with very specific foundations. What we want are some clear assurances from an independent expert that they really understand the architecture.”

Euston: Station expands. 
The transformation of Euston station into a mega-terminus for high-speed trains would see its ‘footprint’ expanded and the whole area redeveloped.

So far HS2 Ltd has offered no indication of what the area might look like – but has promised to consult residents and work closely with Camden Council.

According to maps provided by the company, Cardington Street would be swallowed up by the new station – meaning the loss of the Ibis Hotel. Half of St James Gardens, a former burial site and public park with a playground and multi-use games area marked for football, basketball and tennis, would also be lost.

MP Frank Dobson has warned that any future redevelopment at nearby Maria Fidelis Convent School – considered to be in dire need of upgrading – would be blocked.

He said: “A redevelopment of the school was planned for that site, possibly taking in an extra bit of land. That won’t be able to happen as the line would be right on top of them.”

Also earmarked for demolition is Royal Mail’s Euston sorting office.

The case for... A route bridging north-south gap

SO why is the government so keen on HS2? Theories about what lies behind the high-speed link are mounting.

Votes in the North:
Are there votes to be won by suggesting the line could benefit industry in the North? A recent advertising campaign by pro-HS2 campaigners carrying the strapline “Their lawns or our jobs” sought to play on the north-south divide to win support in northern cities.

Appease the aviation industry:
Transport Secretary Philip Hammond has claimed the creation of a high-speed rail network will ease pressure on London’s airports. Following the government’s cancellation of plans for a third runway, it has been suggested the speedy link to Birmingham will make its airport easily accessible from London. However, at an aviation conference in January, HS2’s former chairman David Rowlands dismissed as “total nonsense” the Government’s claim that a 250mph north-south rail link can replace a third runway at Heathrow airport.

Vanity project:
Critics of HS2 have accused the Government of pushing through a “vanity project”. In March, a group of business leaders, politicians and economists, including former chancellor Lord Lawson and Lord Wolfson, chief executive of Next, labelled the project an “expensive white elephant” and a “train set” which would be used by a minority.

The letter added: “If the Government want to encourage growth there are better ways to get Britain growing and make us more competitive than getting each family to pay over £1,000 for a vanity project that we cannot afford.”

International prestige:
HS2 protesters have suggested there is an element of “keeping up with the Joneses” behind government plans to rival high-speed networks in other European countries. Launching the HS2 consultation, Mr Hammond warned that 

Britain’s transport network cannot afford to be left behind while competitor countries improve their infrastructure. At a conference in Birmingham, Prime Minister David Cameron reportedly said he was even more convinced about HS2 after meeting Chinese premier Wen Jiabao.

He told the Birmingham Post: “Meeting with Premier Wen, where they’re building high-speed rail all over China – they’re linking two of their biggest cities, they are going to have a time between them of just 45 minutes. And I want London and Birmingham to be the same.”

Decision days

Key dates for Camden
July 4: Environment chief Councillor Sue Vincent met Shadow Transport Minister Maria Eagle.
July 12: Sue Vincent at Transport Select Committee.
July 12: Camden will publish the results of a non-statutory consultation.
July 14:  The London Assembly’s transport committee is to hold a public meeting into the HS2 impact.
July 20: Camden Council submits its HS2 consultation response. 
July 29: Consultation period ends.

Timeline of key decisions/events:
April 2013: HS2 Ltd will complete its outline of the engineering design for the London-Birmingham route.
Sept 2013: Environmental impact assessment will be drafted.
Sept 2013: HS2 Ltd will consult on its environmental statement.
Dec 2014: Decision on detailed route of second phase of HS2 line will be made.
May 2015: Hybrid Bill through parliament.
2017: Construction due to begin.
2025: First trains running.