The Government has paid more than £1 million to buy properties along the northern section of HS2 since Rishi Sunak announced the plans were being scrapped. observer can be revealed.
The Prime Minister announced in his party conference speech in Manchester last year that the line would be scrapped in the city. This infuriated some Conservative Party leaders, while officials and industry figures have since been busy drawing up plans for new capacity for British Rail, which relies on HS2’s northern route.
Since Mr Sunak’s announcement in October last year, three purchases have been completed along the second phase of the line between Birmingham, Crewe and Manchester, with taxpayers paying £1.4m to buy property on the line where construction has been halted. means spent.
These were created under a property purchase plan set out to pave the way for HS2. Under this system, states were legally required to follow through on purchases that had already been processed. All three acquisitions were at an “advanced stage” before Sunak canceled his deal, the people said.
of observer Significant pressure is being put on authorities to ensure at least some land along the line is sold before the general election in an apparent attempt to set up a “political trap” for Labor and kill the project. , the company understands. Labor has yet to reveal concrete plans for HS2 or its replacement.
Industry insiders believe the decision to scrap the northern leg of HS2 was ordered as a way to force Labor to choose between reviewing the project or sticking with the Network North plan announced by Mr Sunak instead. There is. It was funded from his previous HS2 budget.
The so-called “safeguards” had already been removed from Phase 2a, which was scheduled to end at Crewe and occupy significant capacity off the West Coast Main Line. This means there will be no legal restrictions on land along that route. However, selling land already purchased by the state will be a much more difficult task.
The government has been warned by infrastructure adviser Sir John Armitt not to rush into selling land. He said there was a “real risk” of rail travel from the south to Manchester becoming “further congested” if routes beyond Birmingham were cancelled. If the section to Crewe is cancelled, road traffic is also expected to increase as less rail capacity is freed up for freight.
There is growing frustration among insiders that the government has abandoned the northern route of HS2 while pledging to spend £11.5 billion and 15 years upgrading the Trans-Pennine line between Manchester and York (the project expected to provide three additional trains per hour).
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A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: “All three of these real estate transactions began before the Network North announcement in October. In fairness and in accordance with our legal obligations, we have completed all purchases requested by property owners. This process has taken several months. Following government advice, we are now in the process of completing the Phase 2 program in an orderly manner, while being sensitive to the needs of local communities and taxpayers.”
A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “Property acquisitions can take many months and the three property acquisitions completed after October 4 were well advanced, so it would be unfair for owners to withdraw. There probably wasn’t.” We continue to develop a clear program for the sale of land no longer needed in HS2 Phase 2 and ensure that our approach delivers value to taxpayers and fully engages with affected people and communities. We guarantee. ”
