Government To Publish 50,000-Page HS2 Bill

The Government is to make its case for the £50bn high speed rail line amid claims it is not giving campaign groups long enough to make their objections to the plans.

The Hybrid Bill with its environmental statement – effectively the Government's planning application for the first phase of HS2 from London to Birmingham – will be published later today.

Those opposing the bill claim that at 49,910 pages, the eight-week consultation limit is not long enough for them to respond sufficiently.

Campaigners say they will have to read 891 pages a day simply to get through the documents and then respond to the points raised. It is the largest bill the UK has ever seen.

Woodland Trust: 21 ancient woodlands destroyed or badly damaged

Woodland Trust policy director Hilary Allison said: "We have recruited a new full time conservation expert whose sole priority over the coming weeks will be the dissection of these documents.

"The enormity of the task being asked of all who have something to contribute to this consultation is undeniable; given its immense length, we feel the timescale given to read and respond is unfair."

The trust has calculated that 21 ancient woodlands will be destroyed or significantly damaged by the first phase of the project.

As part of the bill, opponents will be given the chance to petition Parliament and have their case heard by a committee of MPs.

The first phase will run from London to Birmingham

The Government is expecting up to 25,000 objections, according to the Financial Times.

The publication of legislation for phase one marks a significant milestone in the project. The Government hopes it will be passed by 2015.

Once Royal Assent has been achieved, the Government will be able to start forcibly purchasing land needed to build the line.

It is expected that construction of the line from London to Birmingham will begin in 2016/2017 allowing it to open in 2026.

Transport Secretary Patrick McLoughlin said: "HS2 is the most ambitious and important infrastructure project in the UK since we built the M25 30 years ago, and in 30 more it will be just as integral a part of the nation's prosperity.

"The Bill will give us the powers we need to get the railway built and start delivering the extra room on our railways that this country so desperately needs. It will also start the process of rebalancing the economy and bringing our great cities closer together."

Phase two will run from Birmingham to Manchester and Leeds

There have been significant objections that the rail line will have a devastating environmental impact on vast swathes of England's countryside.

In addition Labour has raised concerns over the increasing costs of the project.

The TSSA transport union has warned that high speed rail must not become a "rich man's toy" and that fares must be affordable.

The British Chambers of Commerce said HS2 had to be built "to avoid crippling delays, stifling carriage conditions and weekend chaos that conventional upgrades will bring" while the city councils of Manchester, Derby and Leeds are among the local authorities fully backing the project.

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