High-speed rail faces court fight from critics

A LEGAL challenge is being launched against the Government’s £33bn HS2 high-speed rail project.

Transport Secretary Justine Greening, who last month signalled a go-ahead for HS2, is being sent a letter by the HS2 Action Alliance (HS2AA) calling for the scheme to be abandoned and giving notice that they could challenge the decision through judicial review.

Opponents of the scheme are also contacting the European Commission over concerns about HS2’s environmental impact. The line, which has ben widely supported by both politicians and businesses across the North and particularly in Yorkshire, has proved controversial in the South, with the proposed first stage of the route crossing through Tory heartlands from London to Birmingham.

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The alliance said the grounds for the legal challenge were “the failure of the Department for Transport (DfT) to comply with the legally binding requirements of the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Regulations 2004 and the Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2010”.

HS2AA added that the SEA regulations required a full strategic environmental assessment of any important infrastructure project and an assessment of all alternatives to be completed before any proposals are presented for public consultation. It said the Government had failed to do this with HS2.

A separate letter of complaint regarding the UK Government’s “non-compliance with the SEA directive” was also sent to the EC, “inviting the commission to investigate the actions of the UK Government on this matter”.

A DfT spokesman said: “HS2 is a project that will deliver jobs and prosperity across the entire country.

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“We believe we have struck the right balance between the reasonable concerns of people living on or near the line – who will be offered a package of compensation measures – the environment and the need to keep Britain moving.”