Category Archives: LBH

Nick Hurd MP, on HS2 in our area

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Some of this overlaps with the recent announcements from LBH, but it also contains a wider perspective from the Nick Hurd perspective. The sharp-eyed among you will notice some words missing from the end; please add, “…I respect that my working assumption is that it will go ahead, and therefore we need to keep working on this agreement to give ourselves the best possible protection.”

hs2-update-september-2017

 

Hillingdon and HS2: Updates

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If you ever need the Council’s public low-down on HS2 please go to:

http://www.hillingdon.gov.uk/article/23081/High-speed-rail-updates

 

PS (next day) If you f0llowed the above link, you’d know that the HS2/LBH Agreement was signed off on 17th August and has now been published on line.

If you didn’t follow the link, it is 79 pages in length and to summarise:

  • It is now a legal agreement that both parties are obliged to implement to the best of their abilities.
  • Everything we expected is included and in the circumstances, it is as good as we could have expected.
  • There is a lot that is caveated by being subject to “reasonable endeavours” and that the real impacts will depend on HS2’s commitment (and the Contractors) to doing things properly rather than just cheaply or through expedience.
  • There will be a lot of onus on the residents and the Council to hold HS2 to account and push them for the best implementations in the interest of the community.
  • There are risks associated with the agreement on HOAC, but the Council appears to have that under control.

We have approached Nick Hurd and he has given us his whole hearted support in our need to improve the unsatisfactory situation with the HS2 Community Engagement Team (CET). He has obtained a commitment from HS2 to improve many aspects of the CET’s performance and we await the outcome of those actions.

We will keep you up to date with developments via the Ickenham Residents’ Association web site, but there is no scope for change to the Agreement now it has been signed off.