High Speed Rail (London-West Midlands) Bill

Following the recent general election, the new government is now committed to go ahead with the construction of High Speed 2 (HS2).

In his speech in Leeds on 1st June 2015, the Transport Secretary, Patrick McLoughlin, confirmed “the full Y network from London to Birmingham, to Manchester and Leeds” will be built. He said the election was a massive vote of confidence in favour of HS2 and confirmed that construction of Phase 1 will begin in 2017.

The purpose of the Hybrid Bill is to provide the government with the legal powers to construct and operate Phase 1 of HS2. This would give the government deemed planning permission to build the railway from London to the West Midlands, together with compulsory purchase powers to acquire outright or temporarily take possession of land required for the delivery of the scheme.

In our opinion, we are unlikely to hear any more regarding compensation, or the proposed route in relation to Phase 2 (West Midlands – Manchester/Leeds), before the autumn. However, these recent events do highlight the need for those affected to take expert advice with regard to compulsory purchase and/or compensation. If you have any queries or would like any information please contact our HS2 team here at Roger Hannah & Co.