Hillingdon Against HS2 is working to save our local communities from the devastation and disruption the High Speed Rail 2 project would create. The government wants to use at least £33 billion of your money to build a new high speed rail line from London Euston non-stop to Birmingham and beyond.
Although the consultation has ended there is still lots to be done to overturn the HS2 proposals and we still need your help.
You can help fight HS2 by making a donation with PayPal to Hillingdon Against HS2. We will use the money to support HS2 Action Alliance’s Judicial Reviews, Stop HS2, the national campaign and local projects .
The first Ruislip and Ickenham Community Forum was held in March you can read the Gazette’s report on it here.
The Government’s decision on HS2 was announced on Tuesday 10th of Jan, our reaction can be read here . The announcement contained mixed news for Hillingdon. HS2 gets the go ahead but Ruislip gets a tunnel. The tunnel will emerge around West Ruislip/Ickenham which is of great concern. We still face losing HOAC, many issues for Harefield and possibly the Heathrow Spur in phase 2 of the project.
The biggest infrastructure project in the UK, and the most expensive railway in the world, HS2 will hurtle through parts of Ruislip, Ickenham and Harefield at speeds of up to 300kph, causing residents loss of properties, businesses and leisure facilities. A link to Heathrow in phase 2 of the HS2 project may wreak further chaos and devastation on our borough, particularly South of the A40. It could mean up to 10 years of construction work, and local residents will be effectively living in a huge building site during this time.
HS2 will cost each constituency £51 million, each household in the nation £1,000 and benefit very few travellers. We believe at best 0.5%.
Please look at this website for ideas on how you can get involved and help.We are affiliated to STOP HS2 and support the work carried out by HS2 Action Alliance.
Check out and join our Ruislip 
group for updates and discussion, and follow us on Twitter @HillingdonAHS2.
you lot need to stop the H20 NOW !!!!!
The thing is that there is already a line, the route suggested is not really sensible its far more sensible to go the old GCR / GWR route. Now lets be honest about this steam trains were running this route at about a couple of hours half a century ago. Sure the line needs work to put it back to 4 lines, and yes some work needs doing to get it up to the HS level but is HS really neccessary?
You see in France the distances are 10 x the UK, the stopping distances and starting distances incredible. To upgrade the original “HS” line through GX, Beaconsfield, HW and Princes Risborough whilst giviving a fast route would mean that no or little land needs aquiring.
The actual time that could be achieved with Normal electric could be down to less than an hour from Paddington to Snow Street. I suggest people read about the “final link” before they get the “wrong Train”
I do feel, that having read “Rail Magazine” issue 672, page 79, we are not being given a true picture by the opposition to HS2. I have a natural scepticsm towards politicians, and I don’t remember Puddifoot asking us if we want him spending our money on expensive court cases. He has lied to us before, many times, and the council is strongly criticised for again presenting “an entirely biased and not necessarily accurate set of answers to a set of questions.” “riddled with innuendo, scaremongering and inaccuracies.”
I spoke to the HS2 people at the Churchill Hall exhibition, asked 2 questions and received totally unsatifactory replies. Flat rebuttals!! Mind you the opposition has never mentioned the 2 questions I have asked, and they are so simple and so basic. If I thought of them, then I think you should.
Is it not strange that we have a Leader opposed to HS2, YET his council is in discussion with TfL to join West Ruislip to Uxbridge stations, on the Central Line, after the re-modelling of West Ruislip for HS2!!! Backing both sides.
Puddifoot’s daughter is married to the son of the chairman of HS2 Ltd, and, I’m sorry to say this, I just do not trust Puddifoot, at all, over this matter.
The council is currently carrying out a poll of all residents via the postcards about HS2 – they are coming back at 9 to 1 against. Not often a politician has such a clear measure of opinion.
Your views are clear and though we will not censor them, it is not appropriate for us to comment, we do have opportunities to meet with the council and we will raise your issue regarding the Central Line.
Like you, we have only received unsatisfactory replies from the HS2 Ltd staff. We have visited at least 6 different roadshows and submitted numerous FOI requests as a group. If you want to tell us what your 2 questions were you may find we do have information on them.
Mr. Munroe seems to have a few hang-ups himself. they all seem of personal nature. Look at my YouTube site, –donedw and decide for yourself, which of the people interviewed about HS2 is positive and has a ready reply. Certainly not Allison Munroe, their CEO, any relation? As a matter of fact it was hard to get any reply of substance for any of the HS2 people in their Road Show in the Winston Churchill Hall. While I was waiting to interview Allison Munroe she was being quizzed by a very knowledgeable gentleman who had her all knotted up and unable to provide answers, she was shivering and speechless, I felt sorry for her as one person to another, but that soon went, when I thought about the enormous salary she is getting, she should have the answers being the CEO. It is s shame I did not switch on my camera.
If the government really wants to help business & commerce, as they claim, why don’t they spend money on London underground. Almost every couple of days there’s a signal failure or brokn down train, which causes long delays for people trying to get to work & to appointments. This would cost a lot less than £30million for the high speed train and cause no pollution or blight. Also, I heard on LBC (London Broadcasting) radio on 5th July that the high speed train will have no on-board toilets. What about pregnant mothers, children, those wth medical conditions and the elderly. What if there’s a delay on the line. It dosn’t bear thinking about!
Don’t believe everything you hear on LBC, just another scaremongering item.
Why would they not have toilets? That is scaremongering rubbish.
Have to agree with Ian above, just more scaremongering tripe from Stop HS2 which is harming us no end, no wonder our opposition to HS2 is collapsing like a pack of cards. Suggest we deal with facts and proper concerns rather than emotive rubbish.
The toilet issue was mentioned on LBC not by Stop HS2 or us, I have never heard that argument elsewhere.
More information on the local impact of HS2 on cities off the proposed route has been produced by a campaign group, and can be viewed here: http://highspeedrail.org.uk/hs2cost/
WE DON’T need a fast train from London to Scotland. We need to sort out the transport system already in place. Peoples homes, communities will be affected and for what. The government need to really take a closer look. Too much much money is wasted by all Governments, why do they always want to give us things we don’t need. Perhaps they should listen to the people, who elect them. They forget itis us who elect them to speak for us. Funny how they forget that.
Wow this is great. I work in the borough of Hillingdon and having more rail links is all good. Expecially as hillingdon council hate cars so much with their crappy traffic wardens
Hi Michael
It would be worth you looking into this a bit more before you comment as there will be no additional rail links for Hillingdon and years of disruption, road closures and station closures instead. Also you’ll be paying for it through your tax and subsidising it for ever more.
To me it sounds like a Not In My Backyard. If the route avoided Hillingdon then I’m sure all the people opposing it wouldn’t be opposing it so much. Everyone moans about the Rail infrastructure in the UK and here are some steps to address it and unfortunatly people are opposing it.
There has been some swift footwork since the announcement by the government wheeling out Boris to give us all the good news that Ruislip will be saved by a tunnel, can you bear in mind all of you please that the governments main job is to stay in power and they will say ANYTHING that they think we want to hear to acheive this end.
They have already underperformed or in some cases doen a complete u turn on huge issues such as the policy on immigration so changing their mind on a tunnel under Ruislip would not lose them a wink of sleep.
Please do not give up the fight against HS2 there is still no environmental case, no economic case and we haven’t got the money to pay for it, we have still been betrayed by the conservatives, they are still going ahead with a project nobody of any consequence supports which will still destroy important local wild space that is unique inside the M25.
HS2 will blight the local landscape forever, your children and your children’s children will never experience the natural beauty we have on our doorstep, I don’t know what the real purpose of HS2 is I guess it’s a big secret that only the political elite are party to – they certainly haven’t shared it with us but keep the pressure on this is far from over yet.
Far be it from me to try and influence your democratic right to vote for whoever you see fit but please bear in mind that the only power you have over the government is your vote here is a letter I have written to out local MP expressing my opinion perhaps it would be helpful if all of you took 5 minutes to tell Mr Hurd how you feel…..
Dear Nick
We met at Westminster the day this project was debated in Parliament. I am
writing to inform you I am personally utterly dismayed at the decision to
go ahead with this project. At the stroke of a pen (the consultation was
all for show) the Conservative government in pursuing a Labour policy that
was meant to punish Tory heartlands has made a life altering decision for
me and the people of Ruislip and Harefield that can never be reversed.
Furthermore it sets precedents that are nothing short of cataclysmic for
the future of the rural environment in the UK – most of which is under
Conservative control – you’ve now proved beyond any doubt whatsoever that
you can never be trusted.
I am not going to go into further detail regarding the scale of the
catastrophe that now faces the humans, flora, fauna and precious landscape
of your constituency, you already know (that’s why I presume you didn’t
take up my invitation for a guided tour). However I am going to point out
that your lack of tenacity in fighting for a just outcome for all of us has
far from gone unnoticed and you will pay for this lack of commitment with
your seat.
This was you’re golden opportunity to show us all you were fit to serve us
(we are not something that rather incoveniently clings to the bottom of
your shoe as you attempt to climb through the ranks of government – I
wonder what Dave’s promised you for your supporting him in this) as our
representative in parliament and you have been found wanting – woefully. At
times you may have ‘talked a good book’ for your constituency but I’ve
watched your feet (as well as the dandruff on your shoulders) as you’ve
attempted to slither round this obstacle and you’ve shown, without doubt, a
total lack of commitment to anything other than your career.
We are real people with real lives who wish to protect our green and
pleasant land (read your constituency) for our children and our children’s
children – I only wish this was a goal we had in common, but if you’re not
going to come out in support of us instead of fending for your own
political career then we, your constituents, have no option but to end it.
I do hope that you don’t for one minute think I’m kidding, the stakes are
way too high for me and the people, wild places and things that matter to
us. You and your party have utterly betrayed us – that’s a very heavy can
you’re going to have to carry for the rest of your days – outside of
politics, you have obviously not got half the wisdom you require to measure
the potential backlash from this, silly, very silly. It is absurd that you
should now continue as our MP under the pretence that you ‘care’ for your
constituents – there is NO PROVEN BENEFIT WHATEVER to us or ‘the country’
from this project.
Regards
Mark McKenna
Here’s a free iPhone/iPad app that shows the route of HS2. http://bit.ly/xgNQQZ. It’s currently using the pre-consultation route (circa Nov 2011) but will be updated shortly to use the latest data.
Did you ever reply to the HS2 consultation pointing out that the documentation received from them lacked clarity?
Do you have a copy of your reply?
Have you ever requested more information on compensation and entitlement?
Did you receive a response to your request for information?
Do you still have a copy of that correspondence?
If you can help please visit http://south-heath.co.uk/have-you-ever-written-to-hs2/
Strongly against HS2. Destroying our community, enviroment and spending money the country can not afford when we are in such great debt. No sense for just cutting down on journey time the impact is too grate and negative for any benogits.
I am totally against HS2. It makes no commercial or environmental sense. David Furness, London Assembly Candidate for Ealing & Hillingdon, 2012