High Speed 2

The former government established a publicly owned company to create a second high speed rail link in the UK from London to the West Midlands (High Speed 2 or HS2). A detailed recommended route for the first part of the link between London and Birmingham was published in February 2011. The proposed route cuts through all four districts in Buckinghamshire, passing Denham, Amersham, Wendover and to the west of Aylesbury.

Within the Buckinghamshire section of the route, Wycombe district has the shortest stretch of line, under one kilometre, to the north-east of Terrick and close to the northern end of the Wendover by-pass.

You can find out more on our position on HS2 and how we are working with other councils on this issue, in the information sheets below.

Public consultation and our response

The public consultation by the government on proposals for HS2 closed on 29 July.

We issued a response including our support for the 51m alliance group's response to the HS2 consultation, which is available to view at the bottom of the page.

In response to the consultation, we stressed the impact on rural communities both during the construction and the operational phase. The impact on the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty of this hugely expensive project was also a key concern, whilst the business case is simply not credible.

For further information and to view the responses, please see the 51m group's website at the bottom of this page.

Impact

The overall impact may be relatively limited, given the short length of the preferred route within Wycombe district. However the impact on the area nearest the route will be more significant as a result of visual intrusion, noise and separation.

Exceptional hardship scheme

An immediate impact - even before HS2 or the route is confirmed - is the blight on those on or near the proposed or alternative routes. The government has recently consulted on an exceptional hardship scheme, where the government will consider purchasing the properties of those most directly affected. The proposed scheme is limited in scope and we have submitted an objection to the proposal.

Update January 2012 - HS2 given the go ahead

On 10 January 2012, the Secretary of State for Transport announced that HS2 is to go ahead, subject to some changes on the previously published proposals notably, some increased provision for tunnelling. One of these changes, is to extend the proposed "green tunnel" south of Wendover from around 300m to around 1280m. A related change to the section of route that would run through the district is that the track would run in cutting rather than on embankment.

The 51m group, will be considering what further steps are now appropriate. A press release issued following the announcement is available in the right hand column.

Next steps

Following the January announcement, HS2 has issued a newsletter which includes a summary for the line of route changes and planned next steps over the next 24 months.

The Department for Transport proposes that a hybrid Bill will be brought before Parliament by the end of 2013 to provide the necessary powers to construct and operate Phase 1 of the project (London to Birmingham). This will be preceded by the following work:

• Preliminary route design and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) leading to an Environmental Statement to be consulted upon in the Spring 2013.
• Safeguarding boundaries for the land that would be needed to build and operate HS2 will be drawn up with consultation upon them in Spring 2012, around the same time as the consultation on blight proposals aimed at those people who are close to and affected by the route. The consultation will last for 12 weeks and it will help to shape a package of compensation measures which are expected to be in place for autumn 2012.
• HS2 Ltd will also continue to work on proposals for the line of route from Birmingham to Leeds and Manchester - phase 2 of the project, including a connection to Heathrow. These will be submitted to ministers by Spring 2012, followed by engagement and consultation. Following consultation, it is expected that a decision will be made by ministers on the preferred route for phase 2 by December 2014.
• As part of ongoing engagement with local people and organisations on the London to West Midlands route HS2 have announced that they will set up community forums, planning forums and an environment forum.

Beyond this the Department for Transport's provisional, longer-term timetable for HS2 is as follows (based on information issued in March 2010 and partly updated since):

• 28 February to 29 July 2011: Public consultation on the recommended route and on high speed rail beyond the West Midlands
• January 2012: Government decides whether to proceed with proposed route for London to Birmingham - now confirmed;
• 2011 to 2013: Further detailed design and assessment of the route
• 2013: Further public consultation
• By end of 2013: Hybrid Bill laid in House of Commons
• 2016: Construction could start
• 2026: Line between London and Birmingham could open.

Further information about the HS2 proposals can be found below.