Landowners should fight 'unfair' HS2, CLA says

The Country Land and Business Association is asking rural landowners to use the HS2 Draft Environmental Statement consultation to highlight the devastating impact of compulsory land purchase.

The consultation, which ends on 11 July, will allow members to flag up the unfairness of having their property taken from them as part of the government-backed scheme.

CLA President Harry Cotterell said: "The consultation document refers to fairness in compulsory purchase. However, compulsory purchase is so grossly unfair it makes the relationship between supermarkets and farmers seem like a level playing field.

"Rural landowners have their land compulsorily purchased and are forced to live with the consequences for generations. The CLA report Fair Play addresses many of the deficiencies in the current system and spells out the practical solutions we have put to ministers and MPs.”

The consultation document contains extensive detail and maps of the environment surrounding HS2 but so far fails to quantify the impact the rail line would have on agriculture and other rural businesses.

Cotterell added: "It is important that everyone affected by the route takes a careful look at these new maps and additional detail in the Environment Statement. We will ensure our voices are heard – it is not just about land and buildings, it’s about homes and livelihoods."

Earlier in the year, the CLA said many rural businesses would be adversely affected without providing fair compensation for compulsory purchase when the Chancellor George Osborne unveiled the next phase of the HS2 high-speed rail network from the Midlands to Leeds and Manchester.

Commenting on the network, Chancellor George Osbourne said it would be "the engine for growth in the North and the Midlands of this country".

The Association said the announcement today gives no confidence to CLA members whose homes and businesses are close to the new route and who would suffer decades of uncertainty while the scheme is planned and built.

"The Government has rushed through today’s route announcement before two major consultations on phase one have finished, showing contempt for rural land and business owners" said CLA President Harry Cotterell.

"The current compulsory purchase system treats landowners badly while helping to deliver profit to commercial operators."

Cotterell said while the Extreme Hardship Scheme currently on offer in phase one was restrictive and hard to access, there would be nothing at all for owners affected by phase two until a new scheme is consulted upon.

He said: "The Government must review compulsory purchase legislation now rather than perceiving it as too complex."

"The CLA has published Fair Play: CLA vision for reform of the compulsory purchase system, a policy report which sets out a framework for root-and-branch reform of the compulsory purchase system."

"The Government must recognise the difficult position of rural landowners blighted by the HS2 route."