HS2 Petition

The Council agreed to petition Parliament about the HS2 scheme on Monday.  There seems to have been some confusion about what was agreed.  The Council is seeking to object to aspects of the scheme that negatively impact Brent.  It is not the decision maker.  I have been keeping an eye on HS2 for quite a while now, and the issues have changed over time.  There are three areas of concern:

1) HS2 appear to be asking for CPO of some bits of land in South Kilburn.  The Council is concerned that it does not understand the reasons for this, and is concerned about compensation.  Informally, I understand from officers that there have been meetings with HS2 and that they are quite optimistic that this will get sorted out before more formal action is necessary.

2) The proposed ventilation structure at the car park near Queens Park Tube station is a more formidable problem.  Obviously, some residents will dislike this as unsightly.  It also has a major effect on the South Kilburn regeneration as the area had already been marked for development.  HS2 taking it over would make it unavailable for decanting purposes, and have a knock on effect on other building projects in South Kilburn.

3) The third area of interest is Willesden Junction.  It is obviously very important to Brent that Willesden Junction be well connected to the HS2 site at Old Oak Common, and this is the third area where the Council is trying to influence the Bill.

UPDATE

In answer to the comment, what does Martin Francis think? No idea.  If he wants us to know, he is welcome to post a comment below.