An update on HS2 Petitioning Very many thanks to those of you who petitioned, either directly, via Roll B agents or as part of a group Petition. There were 163 Petitions from Wendover, Dunsmore and Halton, a very satisfactory total, with the actual number of individual Petitioners being 441. There were 10 group Petitions of 6 or more. Many thanks to the organisers, the largest being Bob Lewis’s Petition of 56 residents in Dobbins Lane, and to those who leafleted and talked to neighbours. 16 organisations petitioned, and their number is included in the total of 163, but not in the 441 individual Petitioners. They were (in no particular order) Wendover and Halton Parish Councils, 3 Schools, the Cricket Club, the Lionel Abel-Smith Trust, the Chamber of Trade & Commerce, the Choral and Music Societies, the Dunsmore Society and Village Hall, the Wendover Society, Wendover U3A, St Mary’s Church, and of course the Wendover HS2 action group. The Private Bills Office at the House of Commons has put copies of all the Petitions on its website. There were 1,925 in total, from London to Birmingham. This is double the HS1 total, and more than four times the Crossrail one. Wendover HS2 action group is now working with others to evaluate the benefits of a bored tunnel, so that this evidence can be presented to the Select Committee. We are also looking into the possibility of offering training for those who will appear in front of the Select Committee. The Select Committee has announced its plans for Petition hearings. Any challenges to the locus standi, ie the right to Petition, have to be made by 21st June. The Committee’s next meeting will be on 1st July, when it will start with formal matters and a presentation on noise measurement. Then four days are set aside for locus standi challenges. The Committee has decided to start by hearing Petitions from the Birmingham area, and these will be on 21st and 22nd July. There will then be a break until the beginning of September, when considerations of Birmingham area Petitions will resume. It will work broadly from north to south, so consideration of our Petitions will probably be some months away. It will not be taking independent advice unless is considers it essential, but will instead rely on advice from HS2 Ltd’s experts. Petitioners will be given four weeks’ notice of appearing in front of the Committee. Meetings will be on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The Committee will visit parts of the route, and hopefully this will include Wendover, but it will not sit outside London. Many Petitioners received a letter from HS2 Ltd early in June telling them to sign on to a new email service. Strong objections were made to this, and the Select Committee has advised HS2 Ltd not to pursue the matter. If you received such a letter, it is probably best at this stage to ignore it.
Posted on: Thu, 19 Jun 2014 11:04:08 +0000
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