On Friday, I attended the latest South Northants HS2 Liaison Group meeting in Towcester to hold HS2 Ltd to account on their project in our area, and to hear issues and concerns from our affected communities.

You may be aware that I set up the HS2 Liaison Group some years ago, when HS2 was in the early stages of being considered by Parliament, to give our community a coherent voice to raise objections and solve problems, and it continues to meet regularly to this day. Each parish along the line of route in South Northants is represented, as are the District and County Councils, and representatives from HS2 Ltd attend each meeting, as do stakeholders from other groups like Highways England and the enabling and main works contractors.

As part of my opening remarks, I provided a brief update on what is happening with the Oakervee Review into HS2. I understand from the Transport Secretary that the decision on whether or not to proceed with the project is a matter of weeks away, rather than months, although the Department for Transport has requested additional information to assist in their deliberations. Whilst the final report from the Oakervee Review has not yet been published, the former Deputy Chair, Lord Berkeley, has made available his Dissenting Report because, as has widely been reported in the press, he does not support the draft conclusions; you can read Lord Berkeley’s report here. I continue to raise my constituents’ views on the business case and value for taxpayer money at every level.

I am still working with a number of constituents who are directly and indirectly affected by HS2, and I made clear at the meeting my frustrations with HS2 Ltd, particularly its Land & Property team, over the way they treat landowners and residents. There is an unacceptable disregard that runs throughout their entire approach to taking possession of people’s land and homes, with compensatory payments frequently late and often substantially lower than expected. I continue to call for fairness and transparency from HS2 Ltd in their engagements with people in South Northants and along the line-of-route, and have raised this matter directly with the Transport Secretary, to ask what he can do to ensure HS2 Ltd treats everyone with dignity and respect. If anyone is affected by HS2 and has not contacted me, please do get in touch and I will do everything I can to assist.

We also discussed ancient woodland sites in Halse Copse (between Greatworth and Radstone) and Fox Covert (to the west of Upper Boddington) which have been clearly identified as ancient woodland in the HS2 proposal, and a small but significant part of both will be lost to HS2. Whilst we are not aware of any imminent HS2 works that would affect either of these areas in the next few months, I have written to the Transport Secretary to ask him to provide me with his reassurance that no vegetation clearance or other ecological works will be undertaken in South Northants ahead of the outcome of the Oakervee Review. Similarly, residents in Brackley have also raised concerns about works to trees and to clear vegetation in Turweston that are imminent; whilst the village is in Buckinghamshire, I have also flagged this to the Transport Secretary as a local concern for his comments.

I raised substantial concerns over the proposals to house between 300-400 HS2 Ltd contracted workers in temporary pre-fab housing near Chipping Warden, and what steps HS2 Ltd would be putting in place to ensure the safety and security of all in the area, as well as what arrangements would be in place for these construction workers to entertain themselves whilst not working so as to avoid overwhelming the local pubs. HS2 Ltd assured the group that on-site facilities would be provided, however I have asked HS2 Ltd to report back on this as they progress their plans, as clearly this will be a key concern to local residents. There were also concerns about ensuring that any works structures erected during the construction period were removed and not made into permanent industrial sites; this included landscape modification for material extraction. HS2 Ltd confirmed that all construction sites would be made good at the end of their use for the HS2 project.

We also considered the current public engagement being undertaken by HS2 Ltd to consider the design of HS2’s Common Design Elements for the Phase One route. These are parts of the railway with a standardised appearance which will give it a recognisable look and make it more efficient to build. They include frequently used structures, such as bridge piers and parapets, as well as lineside noise barriers. I am concerned that the engagement is too limited in scope and does not allow for a full consideration by the community of the various design elements, particularly given HS2 Ltd’s stated aim that it will always consider aesthetics and local sensitivities as part of the design development process. I am further concerned that there is no current opportunity for residents to comment on the proposed design and development of the gantries and Overhead Catenary System which will carry the powerlines for HS2; I have raised these points with Mark Thurston, HS2 Ltd’s Chief Executive, in my letter to him earlier this month, and you can read his response here. You can find more information about the Common Design Elements engagement and complete the survey online, and I would encourage everyone to take a look.

Finally, I would like to thank the Chairman of the Liaison Group, Cllr Ian Morris of Northants County Council, for recognising the group’s appreciation of the hard work that my Senior Parliamentary Assistant, Tommy Gilchrist, has undertaken as part of my team over the last four and a half years on behalf of so many residents and communities affected by HS2. Anyone who has communicated with my office on HS2 will know Tommy and his dedicated focus in supporting residents in their fight against HS2: he is moving on at the end of the month to pastures new, and I wish him all the best. He will be replaced by Laura Dunn, and I welcome her to her new position.