Hundreds will lose out on payouts over high-speed rail tunnels

12 April 2012

Residents in north London who fear their homes will be affected by a new high-speed rail line were excluded from a compensation scheme launched today.

Hundreds of people in Primrose Hill fear their homes could subside from the digging of underground tunnels and will suffer noise and vibration once trains start running.

The homes of Labour leadership hopeful David Miliband and the author and playwright Alan Bennett are above the proposed 250mph route — known as High Speed 2 (HS2) — between London and Birmingham, while 220 council flats would have to be demolished for Euston station's expansion.

Today the Government began accepting applications from residents along the route who will suffer "exceptional hardship" because their homes will be blighted until a final route is agreed. Those needing to move home because of having children, getting a new job, financial pressures or a medical condition would have their home purchased by the Government at market rates prior to the scheme's announcement.

But the rules make clear this does not cover those living above tunnelled sections, though those near tunnel entrances and exits would get help.

The Primrose Hill HS2 Reference Group said the line's promoters had already admitted "there may be some settlement and vibration effects above tunnelled sections". The trains will run at up to 100mph under their homes.

One resident, John Stopford, said the line should run out of Paddington rather than Euston to avoid the need to tunnel under homes in London. He said: "It's a disaster for us... we want proper consultation about alternative routes first, and details about compensation coming second."

An HS2 spokeswoman said: "No decision on any route will be taken until after the completion of public consultation, which is expected to start early next year." She said HS2 was in discussion with Camden council about the implications of demolishing the flats, which are in five blocks.

More than 4,500 responses were received by the Department for Transport to a consultation on the compensation scheme, including 128 from Camden residents. Most complains came from people in the Chilterns.

Two 7.2m-wide tunnels would be dug from Parkway in Camden Town to Park Royal Road in North Acton. The line would also run under Queen's Park and Kensal Green, with an interchange station at Old Oak Common, Harlesden.

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