Insider Media Limited

Half of the planned High Speed 2 rail link between London and the West Midlands has been altered, transport secretary Philip Hammond has announced. After widespread protest from groups including Warwickshire County Council, Hammond said that the initial route which was proposed in March had been amended. One development to the ‘Y’ shaped rail network is the change of position of the Lichfield line, which will now join the West Coast Main Line further north.

The Department for Transport said that the position had been changed to move the line further from the city.

Hammond revealed the changed to the initial plans in a statement to the Commons last night.

He said he was aware that there would be “less welcome impacts” of the new line in some parts of the countryside.

“Since taking this job I have reviewed all the possible route options in detail as well as travelling the length of the proposed line to talk directly to local people”, he said. “As a result, I have made a number of changes to the route published by the previous government. The route I am publishing today differs from the previous one for around 65 out of the 127 miles of its length.”

Hammond added that there would be compensation made available for those whose homes would either be destroyed or lose value once the £33bn line was complete.

The transport secretary also confirmed that the line – which will link London to the West Midlands, Manchester and Leeds - would include a direct link to Heathrow and to the European high speed rail network.

Last week, Warwickshire County Council issued a statement saying that it had voted to oppose the proposed HS2 link.

Councillor Alan Cockburn, Warwickshire County Council’s portfolio holder for environment and economy, said at the time: “At this time the county council can see no benefit from HS2 for Warwickshire and yesterday’s council resolution reflects our concerns.

“We are committed to continuing to work with HS2 to ensure that if the proposals go ahead we manage any future impact on the Warwickshire countryside, and our residents, businesses and recreational facilities are protected as much as possible.”

Further changes to the original proposal include to Hartwell House in Buckinghamshire, where the alignment of the railway line will be moved to reduce visibility from the property.

The government will now look to secure the power to deliver the high speed network by means of a Hybrid Bill. Depending on the outcome of consultation and Parliamentary timescales and approval, enabling works for the initial London-Birmingham phase “should be able to begin in 2015”, said the Department for Transport, with the high speed network opening in phases from 2026.