Whereas the proposed High Speed Rail link (HS2) has huge potential benefits, there are three areas where it might affect Brent adversely.
The most important of these is in the Willesden Junction area. If HS2 goes ahead, we could have a major regeneration benefit from the enhanced links. HS2 combined with Crossrail would give our area a quick route not just into Central London, but also up to Birmingham, and perhaps beyond. However, we won't get that benefit if Willesden Junction is not propoerly connected to the Crossrail/HS2 interchange.
Secondly, we may have an issue at the West London Waste Authority's (WLWA)Victoria Road site. This is a huge transfer site in Hillingdon. It is currently used to bulk up waste for transport by rail to Buckinghamshire. The current HS2 line slices a short stretch of the site off. Unfortunately, it is the part that contains the railway sidings. While there could be an engineering solution to this, there is an added complication. The WLWA is currently undergoing a procurement process on how it handles waste in future. It is likely that many of the bidders would be interested in using the Victoria Road site, but if there is uncertainity over whether or in what form the railway sidings survive, it may blight the procurement process.
Finally, HS2 envisages a ventilation shaft just below Queens Park Tube station. This land is owned by Brent Council. Brent Council had been hoping to use it for residential development as part of the South Kilburn regeneration. Obviously, if it is used for transport infrastructure instead, we will need compensation.
2 comments:
Haven't you forgotten something - the hundreds of Brent residents living along the HS2 route?
...or the thousands of Brent residents who would potentially benefit from the much faster connections to Heathrow, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds, West End, City, Canary Wharf, Paris... due to the new Old Oak Common interchange.
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