With the coalition Government’s announcement, today, that High Speed 2 is to get the go ahead, the lines are much more clearly drawn. Here's a link to the full documentation and background to the case here.
Parliament will debate the pros and cons and will hold the ring on the benefits of new rail infrastructure (in terms of transport, business and climate they could be considerable) versus the route that will be driven across the countryside of the heart of England.
Justine Greening, the Secretary if State for Transport has clearly recognised that the benefits do have substantial impacts on communities and the natural environment along the route. Mitigation has been beefed up and we need to time to consider the implications of the amended proposals – but at first read promises of potential carbon savings fall short of genuine commitment and tweaks to the route are unlikely to still local concerns, though improvements have been made.
If Parliament, as looks certain given all party support, ushers in a new era of high speed rail then the debt to the communities, landscapes and natural environment affected can only be met if HS2 is the best it can be - and delivering on the carbon saving promise of HS2 must be a key test of coalition Government's green credentials alongside a comprehensive approach to mitigation and compensation of the impacts of the route.
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