HS2’s change of tack has been long overdue: The Yorkshire Post says

Given the vast scope of the process has been accompanied by repeated complaints from many of those facing leaving their current homes at their treatment by HS2 officials, it is extraordinary that it has taken almost a decade to bring about a change in approach.

A new overhaul of how land and property is purchased by HS2 has been announced by Transport Minister Andrew Stephenson with a promise to “deliver a fairer deal for communities” based on better communication, more flexible compensation packages and tailored support for affected businesses.

Importantly, the proposed new approach also includes a commitment to improve management standards and increased value to the taxpayer with an emphasis on greater transparency.

It will obviously take time to establish whether the reality will match the rhetoric and the new approach is clearly what should have been in place from the very beginning of the HS2 process.

From the beginning this newspaper, while supporting the principle of HS2 and its importance to national infrastructure, has called for a compassionate approach to both the environment and the people whose lives are being turned upside down by the arrival of the railway.

This overhaul of the purchase process hopefully represents a positive new chapter in the long and too-often unhappy story of HS2.

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