HS2 HS2: How are this lot going to deliver that? So, we’ve now had the decision that we didn’t want, and the government has given the go ahead to HS2. It appears that incompetence provides its own reward. This news means that mitigating the impacts that the construction and the operation of this bumbling project is still relevant.
Wendover Parish Council, Planning and HS2. There appears to be a bit of confusion when it comes to HS2 and planning legislation. I’ve tried to clear up any confusion here. The construction phase of HS2 is subject to UK planning legislation.
The bulk of the construction will take place within the geographical limits set out in the High Speed Rail I’ve always said that good people don’t work on bad (London to West Midlands) Bill. Any construction projects. HS2 Ltd is doing its best to prove my theory. within these limits is deemed to have planning HS2 Ltd as a business, continues to horrify the manager permission already granted by Parliament. in me. It is poorly led on just about every level. The There is a process whereby AVDC, the current planning engagement process is ponderous and grudging. The authority for Wendover, will receive applications technical and logistical expertise is weak. The buzz under Schedule 17 of the High Speed Rail (London to that a major project with good leaders gives off is West Midlands) Bill. The officers of the council will completely absent. In fact, good leadership is what’s consider these submissions within a framework laid really absent. The new chairman rushed in and out in the Bill. Parish Councils will be made aware of counted the spoons, upped the budget to £88 billion, the proposal but there is no mechanism for parishes and vanished into the background. The CEO seems to to comment through the established planning be mired in the detail instead of delegating the scut process. If WPC wishes to comment on proposals the work and driving the project forward. I’m told that only route is to use HS2/Eiffage Kier (EK) or planning two of the PR team, (responsible for engagement and authority complaints procedures, anyone can use public affairs) are in that industry's top five by salary. these channels, so the WPC has the same status as With completely indifferent engagement, the HS2 any parishioner. It is also possible to discuss concerns brand in the bin and the good people they need to with your district Councillor. deliver the project, bailing out, clearly these people are not paid by results. Further planning applications may be received
from EK/HS2. These will be considered, properly, under the established planning process. These fall into two main categories: • Category 1 is any construction works that fall outside of the limits laid out in the act. • Category 2 is any works that are generated by third parties, not EK/HS2, as a result of HS2. These submissions will appear on the planning authority planning portal and Parish Councils will process them in the usual way. It must be noted that in April the responsibility for planning process is handed to the New Buckinghamshire Council. The WPC Complaint. Way back in October 2018 I wrote to HS2 questioning their adherence to instructions issued by the House of Lords. I challenged them to prove that they were considering innovative solutions (Lord Ahmad called it “good ideas”) to deliver iconic designs that would, in the future, be considered “sympathetic to their local context, environment and social setting”. Anyway, these must have been very hard questions as here we are with a final response from the independent complaints assessor dated February 2020. You can read it by following the link www. wendover-pc.gov.uk/post/complaint-against-hs2ltd-by-wendover-parish-council. Tom Walsh
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Wendover News March 2020
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