The decision to delay a consultation over compensation for homeowners along the route of the planned HS2 rail line has been criticised by campaigners.
Transport Secretary Justine Greening confirmed that the discussion would now take place in September.
Announcing the decision, Ms Greening said that the “detailed work” needed to fully assess the options meant the process could not begin until after Parliament returns from its summer recess.
However, Joe Rukin from the Stop HS2 campaign claimed the delay is proof that the entire high speed rail scheme has not been considered carefully enough.
“The reality is that this announcement does nothing to help people who are distressed and in turmoil for at least another six months, or even longer,” he said. “There are people who have had their lives on hold for two years now because of this scheme, and this delay is just another example of the fact HS2 has been from the start a rushed job which has not been thought through properly.
“The only definite thing is people would have been better off in 1844 when landowners got almost twice the value of their land when railways were built.
“Because Justine Greening and Philip Hammond before her have both said the compensation package with HS2 would be above the norm, the Government have been constantly panicking about how they can do this and how much it will balloon the costs of this gargantuan white elephant beyond the realms of feasibility.
“As important as how much the package will pay out is the ability to qualify. The current scheme is more or less impossible to get, and currently if you live just by the line and it doesn’t go through your property, you would have to live with the construction and wait until the line had been operating for a year to claim.
“In other words, if a was child born on the day HS2 was announced in 2010, it would be studying for A-Levels before their parents would be eligible to claim for compensation the way things work at the moment. This must be addressed.”
