Protests set to cost HS2 £200m
Protests against the HS2 high-speed rail line are expected to cost the government £200m.
Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2, told the Public Accounts Committee on Monday that the organisation was seeking an injunction to “combat” a spate of demonstrations against Europe’s biggest infrastructure project.
“We are just at £122m spent to date, all up, in terms of the impact of protesters. Our forecast is that that will probably be somewhere between £150m and £200m by the time we’re finished,” he said.
Protests against the HS2 high-speed rail line are expected to cost the government £200m.
Mark Thurston, chief executive of HS2, told the Public Accounts Committee on Monday that the organisation was seeking an injunction to “combat” a spate of demonstrations against Europe’s biggest infrastructure project.
“We are just at £122m spent to date, all up, in terms of the impact of protesters. Our forecast is that that will probably be somewhere between £150m and £200m by the time we’re finished,” he said.
HS2 has appealed to the High Court for an injunction along the entire length of the construction of the line in an attempt to discourage further protests. The hearing will take place within the next fortnight and, if granted, will potentially make it a criminal offence for any person to be on any land or property owned by HS2 without permission.
Last week, the government announced in the Queen’s Speech that it would introduce new laws designed to impose jail sentences of up to 13 months for protesters who cause damage to vital infrastructure projects. The policy, aimed primarily at environmental protesters, came after similar plans were rejected by the House of Lords several months ago.
Protests against HS2 have been held throughout the country. These have included a tunnel dug outside Euston station – the planned railway’s London terminus – which was occupied by protesters until January last year.
HS2 Rebellion, a coalition of protest groups, said the new line was the “most expensive, wasteful and destructive project in British history”. It said 108 ancient woodlands, veteran trees, wood pasture, old meadows and wetlands were at risk and that it would be decades before it is carbon-neutral.
The FT (£)
