Action groups campaigning against the plan to build a high-speed railway line between London and Lichfield are urging local residents to attend a consultation roadshow at the Guildhall.
The roadshow, to be staged from 8am to 8pm on June 8 and 9, is part of a series of events being held along the proposed HS2 route and will provide an opportunity to view the proposals as well as offering the chance to speak to officials from HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport.
A spokesman for action groups from Lichfield, Whittington and Kings Bromley said:
“We think it is very important that as many people as possible attend the roadshow to form their own opinion on whether this line should be built. We believe the business and environmental cases for HS2 do not stack up, and that the £19billion it will take to build it could be better spent on the NHS, schools and universities, job creation and fighting crime.
“The problem of capacity on the West Coast Main Line can be solved at a fraction of the cost of HS2. But HS2 will go ahead unless enough people make their voices heard and persuade the Government to abandon this expensive white elephant.
“The way to do that is to go along to the roadshow, learn about the proposals then make your objections known by answering the consultation questions. Our groups feel it’s important to attend to demonstrate the feeling, concern and interest in the area, not apathy or defeat by staying away.”
A Stop HS2 ‘shadow roadshow’ will run outside the Guildhall at the same time as the HS2/DfT exhibition.
It is important for individuals to study the effects and not be bamboozled by a vocal minority. So far the Lichfield lobby has succeeded in moving the line from alongside the A38 corridor (the A38 would have masked the noise) and closer to Whittington. This takes up virgin countryside but fortunately there is still a hill between it and Whittington.
The effect of HS2 will be dramatic on the UK economy and as a resident of Whittington for nearly 20 years I support it.
John, Think about us poor residents of Streethay we have’t got a hill to shield us from the noise and the sight of a high speed rail track going above the A5127/A38. Also we have a possibilty of 850+ houses being built. I would also like to state, don’t beleive what you have read about the “Lichfield lobby”. Tthey did not fight to move the line, they fought and still are fighting to STOP HS2 totally on the basis of costs.
I completely agree that there needs to be some serious mitigation.
Mind you, wouldn’t a railway be better than another 850 houses and the traffic generated?
People affected must be properly looked after…not just lip-service. But I couldn’t sleep at night if I thought I was denying someone else the chance of the standard of living that we enjoy in the Lichfield area. HS2 is actually very cheap for something that will be there for 170 years, if the existing railway is anything to go by! There is already £2 billion a year being spent to benefit London Commuters on the Crossrail project. That should get switched to HS2 when Crossrail finishes (if we can afford Crossrail now, we can afford most of HS2 costs in several yeras time). If it doesn’t you can bet that it will continue to be spent on London transport projects. The French have done some great things with ‘cut and cover’ and so has HS1 – where an entire meadow was replaced over the line. People really need to be fighting for the mitigation – that’s where they will get the sympathy. Anything else makes us seem middle-class, uncaring and having an ‘I’m alright, Jack!’ attitude – as has been shown in the Chilterns and Warwickshire.