#HS2 white elephant set to devastate a haven for nature
Protest events now planned for this site:
It's not progress when there's such devastation to the local environment....
I'm so scared at the destruction of this perfect habitat
The HS2 vanity project is set to destroy a protected Site of Special Scientific Interest in the Colne Valley in West London. The Woodland Trust dismisses HS2's disingenuous claim that they can re-create an ancient Woodland by moving soil.
Tandem Skydive | Katharine from Oxford, UK
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DRONING IN LONDON! #Vlog015
I went droning at a local park i've never been to before, did another done mission in London to shoot B roll for my cousins Marriage Proposal Video & went to 20 Fenchurch Street aka The Walkie Talkie Building to Record & Take Pictures of the Proposal. To watch Proposal video --
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Residents on HS2 route condemn compensation plans
People living beside the proposed route of HS2 condemn the level of compensation the government is proposing to pay them. Report from HS2 roadshow at Burton Green, Warwickshire, BBC Midlands Today from Saturday 17th November 2012.
HS2 Ltd's spokesman admits timescale is wholly unfair
In a report for BBC1's One Show, Ben Ruse of HS2 Ltd admits that it's wholly unfair to wade through 50,000 pages in 56 days and then submit a written report.
Broadcast on Tuesday 17th December 2013
HS2: More cash for homeowners living near rail line
Homeowners who live near the proposed HS2 rail line between London and Birmingham are to get extra financial compensation, ministers have said.
People living up to 120m from the line who do not want to sell will be offered a cash sum equivalent to 10% of the unblighted value of their home.
And those living between 120m and 300m from the proposed route will be eligible for up to £22,500 in support.
Transport Secretary Partrick McLoughlin said people would be looked after.
But the HS2 Action Alliance said barely 3,000 homeowners would benefit despite the fact that 172,000 households were within 1,000 metres of the phase one line, and 43,000 within 500 metres.
The announcement, which follows a government consultation, came as MPs said they were sceptical about whether the £50bn project would deliver value for money.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee said the budget for the scheme included a generous contingency which could be used to mask cost increases and suggested ministers lacked a clear strategic plan for the wider rail network.
Market value
The first phase of HS2 is due to open in 2026, followed by a V-shaped phase two taking the line to Manchester and Yorkshire.
Friday's package of compensation comes on top of existing guarantees to those living closest to the line.
Anyone living within 60m is being offered the chance to sell their properties to the government for their full value plus 10%, with stamp duty, legal costs and a share of moving costs also paid for.
As an alternative to the voluntary purchase scheme, the government is now offering assistance - in the form of a cash sum linked to the value of the property - to homeowners and businesses who want to remain where they are.
Those living between 120m and 300m from the line will qualify for cash payments of either £7,500, £15,000 or £22,500 depending on their proximity to the line.
Ministers say the payments, which will apply only to those living in rural areas and will be available if and when the legislation authorising the construction of HS2 is passed by Parliament, will enable people to share early in the benefit of the railway.
Finally, the government said it was relaxing the criteria for helping those who live along the route who want to sell their houses but cannot do so at their market value.
Those who have a compelling reason to sell will be eligible for a new need-to-sell scheme paying the full unblighted value, including those who do not need to move immediately.
HS2 Ltd, the government-backed firm overseeing the project, said it had so far purchased 192 properties under voluntary purchase schemes for phase one of HS2 as well as 41 for phase two of the line, at a total cost of £157m.
Mr McLoughlin said the package of support went well beyond the government's legal obligations and a new residents' charter, overseen by a commissioner, would ensure people were treated fairly.
This comprehensive package of compensation and assistance is looking after those people who live along the HS2 route while balancing our responsibilities to the taxpayer, he said.
'White elephant'
But campaigners opposed to the rail line said it was a white elephant trampling through the countryside and restated their calls for the project to cancelled immediately.
It is time for the politicians to think again, and it is certain HS2 will be a big issue at the general election, said Joe Rukin, campaign manager for Stop HS2 said.
The Commons Public Accounts Committee, which scrutinises government spending, said it was concerned about the government's ability to deliver HS2 on time and on budget.
The contingency fund gives the government a 95% assurance of delivering within budget, the committee said, but it added: We are concerned that this will simply be used to mask cost overspends, rather than valid calls on contingency funds.
This week HS2 Ltd executive chairman Sir David Higgins told a House of Lords committee: We should not assume the contingency will be spent.
The committee said the government had yet to publish proposals for how Scotland would benefit from HS2 and questioned the recent government backing for an HS3 link between northern cities. Labour MP Margaret Hodge, who chairs the committee, said the government had not assessed HS3 before giving the go-ahead to HS2.
More broadly, the report said this suggested the Department for Transport (DfT) took a piecemeal approach to its rail investment, rather than considering what would benefit the system as a whole and prioritising its investment accordingly.