An MP has leapt to the defence of campaigners battling against HS2.
The proposed high speed rail route would cut through parts of Lichfield and the surrounding area.
Pro-HS2 groups have claimed that NIMBYism is behind the opposition to the new line.
But Christopher Pincher, MP for Hints, Hopwas and Tamworth, insisted such suggestions were “unfair and untrue”.
“My constituents are not NIMBYs. I have spoken to several hundred of them over the past months. They tell me that if it can be demonstrably proven that the business case stacks up, if there are proper mitigations in place in their vicinity, and if they get fair and reasonable compensation for the loss they suffer, they will, through gritted teeth, accept the proposal.
“The trouble is that the business case has not been proven, mitigations are not yet known-the route was announced last December but in my area we are still waiting for a roadshow – which we will not get until June – and, although we have had hints about compensation for blight, we still do not know anything about what we might get.”
The debate on HS2 proposals was held in Westminster Hall and attracted over 30 MPs including the Speaker, John Bercow, several ministers and Lichfield MP Michael Fabricant.
During the debate Mr Pincher paid tribute to Mr Fabricant for “leading the charge” to secure an investigation of the business case behind HS2 by the Transport Select Committee.
Click below to view the full debate:
