By unlocking the export potential China offers the pig industry, not to mention the red meat sector as a whole, we could gain entry into a marketplace which comprises a fifth of the world’s population.High speed rail a ‘major concern’ for countryside
A NEW high speed rail link between London and Birmingham is ‘a major concern’ for the open countryside, the Campaign to Protect Rural England (CPRE) has warned.
Lord Adonis, the transport Secretary, announced the proposals to construct the 335 mile rail link from London to Birmingham and further to Manchester, Sheffield and Leeds last week.
Under the plans, trains will run at speeds of up to 250 miles per hour, cutting journey times from London to The North by up to 75 minutes.
The first section of the route, from London to Birmingham, will cut across the Chilterns and head north through thousands of acres farmland.
While some of the initial environmental issues have been resolved, Ralph Smyth, CPRE senior transport campaigner, said there were still some serious concerns.
“By using existing and disused transport corridors as well as tunnelling, the impact on the Chilterns is less than feared.
“But the impact on Warwickshire, where the line is proposed to run through open countryside, is a major concern,” he said.
The CPRE also raised concerns over ‘a huge 725m viaduct’ which is planned across the first significant area of countryside to the west of London, by Colne Valley Park.
The proposed route is also due to skirt around the NFU headquarters in Stoneleigh, Warwickshire. In a statement the Union accepted the need for the rail link but warned against any adverse impact on food production.
Ivan Moss, NFU planning policy adviser, said the Union would defend its farmers’ interests in the consultation period – which begins in the autumn.
“This is a major project that will affect many NFU members. We will be providing advice to them on the process.
“We will also ensure that farming interests in general are taken into account in the detailed planning of the route,” he said.
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Readers' comments (2)
Edward Rainsford | 25 March 2010 0:14 am
Just to add to the above, The reduction in journey would only be between 20-30minutes. A total of 440 properties will be demolished to make way for this track from farm houses to 250+ homes in central London and more in Birmingham. The people I have spoken to that will lose there home in Buckinghamshire found out by watching the news or by being told by friends. The report states their intention to run 18 trains an hour at 400m in length with a capacity to move 20,000 people an hour (who these 20,000 people who travel from London to Birmingham and back each hour are I’m not quite sure). The cost of construction for the complete HS2 system will be £30 Billion (not that I can remember any government plan coming in on budget no matter which party is running the show). There are also several studies that show high speed rail produces equivalent amounts of carbon emissions as driving due to the high voltage required to run the electric trains.
To quote the Chilterns Conservation Board's chief officer, Steve Rodrick "It's going to slice through prime countryside, it's going to sever farms, it's going to mean the grubbing up of hedges, the loss of woodland, the loss of grassland, the severance of rights of way. Practically every aspect of what makes this area special will be affected,"
Sorry to post such a lot, there is fierce debate over this topic and I just wanted to show some of my reasoning for why I oppose the HS2 and, more specifically, running the HS2 though the Chilterns area of outstanding natural beauty. If you feel the same way please sign this petition every name counts.
http://petitions.number10.gov.uk/railhighspeed/
For anyone wishing to get involved in the campaign there is a Facebook group: Save the Chilterns - Say NO to a High Speed Rail Link!
Many Thanks
Edward Rainsford
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sylvia marshall | 12 May 2010 4:37 pm
i am surrounded by farms in Gt.Missenden and have been told that farmers here are absolutely dismayed, I hope now we have a new hung parliament some sanity will prevail and a new route adopted which will not go through an area of outstanding natural beauty and special areas of the environment etc. and be settled soon so that especially the farmers can have peace again.
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