Camden Council yet to condemn high speed train link (HS2) that could change the face of Camden

Published: 17th March, 2011
by JOSIE HINTON

RESIDENTS heaped pressure on Camden Council to publicly oppose the government’s plans for a high speed rail link last night (Wednesday).

Members of the audience at the first Pan-Camden HS2 Alliance public meeting called on the Labour administration to stand behind protesters on the issue.

They voted unanimously with a show of hands that Camden Council should now publicly oppose HS2.

Nigel Rumble, from Belsize Park, said: “The groups that can influence the outcome is local councils. Camden need to make a serious decision about where they are going to stand on this issue.”

Luisa Auletta, representing Camden Town West, added: “I am incredibly concerned that the council has not come out and said where they stand on this. What does our council think about this so-called consultation?”

Speaking to boos and heckles, Labour environment chief Councillor Sue Vincent said: “The cabinet have agreed that we will work with HS2 to mitigate any impact the best we can.

“Camden will be looking in great detail on the evidence we are presented with. We are concerned we get the best deal we can for Camden.”

Cllr Vincent has been working alongside the Pan-Camden alliance, who organised the meeting at a packed St Mary’s Church, Primrose Hill. 

The Pan-Camden group set up the meeting to urge people to fight the entire HS2 proposal, rather than the route.

Leading transport commentator Christian Wolmar was among a panel of speakers on the subject. The Tufnell Park railway journalist told the audience: “The battle will not be won by nimby arguments. There will need to be a much more sophisticated technical, political, environmental and economic debate – rather than one based on narrow interests.”

He added: “I have an economics degree so I can understand about half of the government's business case, and the half I can understand is complete mumbo jumbo. 

“It’s not going to cut domestic flights, it’s not going to create cheap travel, it’s not going to cut CO2 and it will take money away from existing railways.”

Mr Wolmar’s views were echoed by  Jairo Jaramillo, a resident of the Ainsdale block in Euston which will be demolished to make way for the new line.

Mr Jaramillo, whose mother bought the lease to her flat after years of saving and now faces being forced out of Camden by the project, told the audience: “Do not let anyone tell you that you are nimbys. I cannot be called a nimby because I won’t have a back yard if this goes ahead. This will destroy West Euston as a community and Primrose Hill will be left next to a giant building site.”

He added that the £30billion the project will cost could buy 150 University College Hospitals, could run Camden Council for 115 years based on its 2008/09 budget or could pay for 750,000 students to attend four-year courses at universities charging the top rate.

Other speakers at the meeting included Lizzy Williams, who walked the entire route last year in protest, and Jerry Marshall, chairman of anti-HS2 group  AGAHST (Action Groups Against High Speed Two).