Tag Archives: Ruislip Against HS2

RUISLIP AGAINST HS2 – NEWSLETTER 45

The latest newsletter written by Ruislip Against HS2…

Dear Supporters,

You may have noticed that it’s been some time since our last update. We apologise for the long gap between newsletters. 2015 proved to be a difficult and busy time for HAHS2, not least
because of all the HS2 developments but our (very small) committee needed some personal time for health issues along with family and work commitments.
Much of last year was taken up with the preparation and presentation of petitions before the HS2 Select Committee and bringing the new MP for South Ruislip and Uxbridge Boris Johnson, up to speed.
There have been many announcements and developments and we hope that you have been keeping up to date with progress via our Website and our Facebook Page where we post
regular news items and notices.
Petitioning
Hillingdon was represented in Parliament by many individuals from across Ruislip,Harefield and Ickenham as well as action groups,resident associations,local councillors and Hillingdon Council itself.
We’d like to thank everyone who was involved. Many hours of often stressful and hard work went into the presentations which made for an incredible contribution from Hillingdon.
Unfortunately our major objective of achieving an extended tunnel from West Ruislip through the Colne Valley was not successful which is incredibly frustrating.
You can read the Committee’s decision HERE
However many of the petitions concentrated on smaller issues and many of these were recognised by The Committee and were given more consideration. Agreements known as assurances and undertakings were
given on a range of issues including construction traffic numbers and routes, timing of utility works and effects on individuals’ homes.
H.O.A.C was a big priority in the Hillingdon petitions and whilst there has been no agreement to save it in it’s current form, there are plans to relocate the facility.This is really disappointing and not the outcome
we or H.O.A.C hoped for.We aim to have updates soon on any progress made.
There were only small concessions made to the mitigation measures we were seeking but we have at least secured the opportunity to continue to have an input into how HS2 is planned – should it ever go ahead.
Appearances
You can watch a session of the main community petition for Ruislip  HERE from 11.10a.m
You can watch a session of the main community petition from Harefield Tenants and Residents Association  HERE  from 15.14p.m
You can watch a session from the main community petition from Ickenham Residents Association HERE from 9.29 a.m
You can watch a  session of some of the Hillingdon Councillors making the case on behalf of residents from across the borough HERE from 15.13p.m
(Please be aware some of these links may take some time to load)
Tunnel Depth
A major development arose from the process. During presentations from Ruislip, HS2Ltd suddenly introduced new information concerning the depth of the proposed tunnel.
For over 3 years we had been led to believe that the tunnel would be 30metres deep under properties, but now we know it could be as little as half that in some areas.
Unfortunately this was revealed after all the Ruislip petitions had been heard.
HAHS2 made a formal complaint to the Chair of the Committee and HS2Ltd’s QC was forced to issue us with an apology.
This however remains a big issue,not least because residents have been misled about tunnel depth and HS2Ltd have yet to give a satisfactory explanation – despite requests and follow up meetings,
but more importantly because it makes a significant difference to the level of vibration and settlement to properties that could occur.
We are very concerned that the HS2Ltd arguments put to, and accepted by The Committee,in rejecting our arguments,were based on inaccurate tunnel depths.
You can watch the session HERE from 9.31a.m where the mistake was acknowledged. It also goes on to feature Nick Hurd MP and Boris Johnson MP and their evidence in the final summing up of all Hillingdon’s petitions.
You can see the guide to settlement that HS2Ltd have produced in response  HERE – though this has not been sent to those affected it was simply added to their website.
Read more about the details of what happened HERE
As a result of the first round of petitioning, some amendments have been made to the HS2 Bill and these are known as ‘additional provisions’. We are now up to the 4th set of amendments ( AP4s) and these
petitions for Hillingdon are being heard next week.
You can follow the developments and watch live appearances from residents in Ickenham, Harefield and Hillingdon Council this coming week on Monday 25th January HERE
You can use the same link to keep up with all the remaining petitions from the whole route.
Our fight to extend the Ruislip Tunnel hasn’t ended. HAHS2 will continue to push for this further mitigation and our MPs Nick Hurd and Boris Johnson support our calls for more to be done to protect
our local environment and continue to put pressure on Government.
Once the House of Commons Select Committee have finished hearing all the petitions from the whole route,we have the option to progress our case to The House of Lords.
Boris Johnson
As you will be aware Boris Johnson has taken over from Sir John Randall as MP for Uxbridge and South Ruislip. Whilst Boris, as Mayor of London,was already aware of the main issues affecting his constituency and those
affecting Hillingdon as a whole, HAHS2 have made it a priority to establish a good relationship with him so that we can continue to communicate regularly with him on HS2 matters. We have had several meetings with him
the most recent being on January 8th.
 
You can read about his visit to Ruislip HERE
See a report and photo gallery on the Get West London News site HERE
Each time we meet, we feel he gets a better understanding of all the ongoing concerns we have about HS2 but it would really help, if he’s your MP for you to contact him to keep the pressure on.
 
Likewise please also keep writing to Nick Hurd MP if you are a constituent in Ickenham or Harefield.  
 
Complaint about HS2Ltd?
If you have had any direct contact or communication with HS2Ltd that you are unhappy about, you have an opportunity to make a complaint.
Please see details HERE submissions must be made by 11th Feb 
Public Event
We have had advance notice form HS2Ltd that they will be holding an information event on 8th March in Ickenham. This will be a one off event to cover the whole of the affected areas including Ruislip and Harefield.
Please save the date and make an effort to come along if you can.
Ickenham Village Hall – Swakeleys Road, Ickenham from 2.00pm – 7.00pm
HAHS2 will be aiming to have an alternative information stand outside the event. Please see our Website and Facebook page for more details nearer the time.
What Next ?
The next major event on the calendar for 2016 is the Mayoral election in May.
HAHS2 are aiming to meet with all the candidates – as we did last time around! We shall be trying to highlight HS2 as an election issue – but we need your help!
Ways to Help
Please take some time to contact some of the Mayoral candidates and let them know how important an issue HS2 is, and we will aim to keep you updated on their positions.
Labour        Sadiq Khan             london@labour.org.uk                   @sadiqkhan
Cons           Zac Goldsmith        zac@zacgoldsmith.com                 @ZacGoldsmith
Lib Dem      Caroline Pidgeon   caroline@carolinepidgeon.org        @CarolinePidgeon
Green          Sian Berry              http://www.sianberry.london/          @sianberry
UKIP           Peter Whittle           www.peterwhittle.co.uk/contact      @prwhittle
Petition to sign
You will all be aware of how catastrophic the flooding in the north of the UK was over the Christmas period.
This latest petition deserves much more attention than it’s getting. Please add your name to it but also share it far and wide with friends,family and work colleagues across the country.
Stop HS2 and Invest in Long Term Flood Defences   https://petition.parliament.uk/petitions/117184
Funding 
We are very grateful for all the donations we have received in the past and much of the progress that has been made over the last few years could not have happened without your generosity.
Please do think about making a donation if you can.
If you can contribute in any small way,donations will be gratefully received either by Paypal on our website by clicking the donate button HERE
Or by sending a cheque to Hillingdon Against HS2: 8 Almond Close,Ruislip,HA46EB
You can also help raise funds really easily- FOR FREE! as you do your everyday shopping on-line
Please register HERE
 
Once again,many thanks for your continued support and interest.
Ruislip and Hillingdon Against HS2

 

Ruislip Against HS2 – Newsletter 43

From local campaigners against HS2 Ruislip……

Dear Supporters,

2015 is well under way and HAHS2 have already had a busy start to the year. As ever, there is much to update you with;The HS2 Select Committee started hearing petitions from along the route and in January we had our ‘site visit’ from members of the committee. Hillingdon petitioners are preparing for their appearances before them – some will be heard in parliament before the general election in May. Hillingdon Council have produced a ‘Tunnel Report’ to support the calls for further mitigation for Ickenham and across The Colne Valley and following on from the last consultation, new compensation changes have been announced.The next couple of months will see local parliamentary candidates stepping up their own campaigns to win votes at the election and we expect HS2 to feature on their agendas.
HS2 Select Committee visit.
On January 15th some of the MPs who sit on the HS2 Select Committee visited Harefield, Ickenham and Ruislip to see for themselves the areas that are expected to be most directly affected by the construction and running of HS2.
HAHS2 accompanied the visit along with our local MPs, LBH Councillors ,Officers and HS2Ltd .We were able to highlight the realities of the biggest concerns for the area.The visit included significant stops at various roads, homes, HOAC, potential construction sites and spoil dumping land.They heard and saw for themselves how serious and damaging the plans are here, including details of traffic construction routes.
We think that the visit was a success in that we were able to bring the route maps to life and the committee were genuinely interested in what they saw and heard from local residents, who had gathered at each of the stops along the way. We are very grateful to everybody who turned out on a cold, wintry day to greet the committee and those who helped organise the great banners and posters that adorned the route.The committee have the power to make changes to the plans for HS2 within the hybrid bill. Now that they have visited the area, they will have a better insight into the requests being put forward by petitioners and we hope they will be persuaded that our calls for further tunnelling are justified.
You can read more about the visit and see pictures HERE with more on our Facebook Page
We are expecting a return visit from the Select Committee later in the year, when we hope they will take a tour of the rest of Ruislip where the route is tunnelled. We will keep you updated when we are advised of a date but we hope that we can replicate the turnout
from residents that we had for The Colne Valley visit.
Hillingdon Petitions.
HAHS2 helped organise a day of meetings on January 21st to help all of those in Hillingdon who have submitted petitions. The sessions were well attended and advice was given by the Borough Solicitor and Parliamentary Agent on how to present individual petitions to the Select Committee.
If you have submitted a petition and you couldn’t make the meetings or haven’t already been in touch, please contact us so we are aware of your petition ( and number) and we can extend some support, advice, and forward you the slides from presentations.
More workshops are being planned and groups of petitioners have already visited The House of Commons with Nick Hurd MP to get a feel for what to expect from an appearance before the committee.
We now have confirmation that petitioners from Harefield will be called to present their petitions from March 17th,with Hillingdon Council, Ickenham and Ruislip petitioners expected to appear after the election.
The timetable for hearings is published by parliament, a month in advance and all petition appearances can be followed on the parliamentary website, either watching parliamentary T.V live or reading the transcripts.
You can find links to this and more HERE
LBH Tunnel Report.
Hillingdon Council continue to support our campaign against HS2.As ever our priority is to campaign against HS2 in it’s entirety. However, we must engage with the parliamentary process at each stage.So, as part of our ongoing calls for better mitigation, LBH have commissioned a study into the feasibility of extending the Northolt Tunnel beneath The Colne Valley. Not only does this study show that an extended tunnel is possible, it shows that the costs are comparable to the much more damaging overland option.
HS2Ltd have yet to respond to the outcome of this study which has been made public.
LBH have chosen to hold back their appearance and presentation of their petition to the Select Committee whilst waiting for a response from HS2Ltd.
You can read the report HERE
West Ruislip Depot.
You may be aware that as part of construction plans at West Ruislip, HS2Ltd intend to build a temporary rail head to carry away tonnes of excavated spoil across Ickenham. If the Select Committee don’t agree to extending the tunnel then we need a fallback position for lesser mitigation – but for the best outcome.
As such Hillingdon Council have proposed an alternative site for the rail head at West Ruislip Depot as part of their petition.
LBH  recognise that there are potential downsides to this proposal, not least because of the homes (that have already been mitigated by the Ruislip tunnel) now stand to be affected by the new plan,and there are also more traffic implications.
However relocation of the rail head to the West Ruislip Depot is a less disruptive option which would facilitate more spoil being carried away by rail and less need for lorries on the road.
The proposals are currently being discussed with Transport For London in order to ascertain feasibility.
If it’s seen as a viable option then the idea will be developed in more detail and LBH will draw up further plans with TFL and then consult with anyone who might be affected to help with mitigation of any negative
impact it might have.
If the Select Committee don’t grant us a tunnel extension but they consider the West Ruislip Depot proposals as an alternative, they will issue what is called ”an additional provision”
This is a change to the HS2 Hybrid Bill and as such opens up the option for people to submit further petitions on the new proposals in the future.
You can read more from Hillingdon Council on the proposals HERE
Compensation.
Following the last consultation on compensation,the Government have announced their final package of compensation measures. Thank you again to everyone who took time to respond – over 1300 of you in Hillingdon!
There have been some improvements in rural areas but the scheme is largely a rehash of the last proposals with a new name.Sadly the Government have not seen fit to listen to public concerns to make enough of a difference for many people.
Once again those in urban areas,above tunnels or close to construction have been ignored.
However HS2Ltd will now accept applications for the Voluntary Purchase, Cash Offer and Need To Sell scheme. These supplement those launched last year,namely Express Purchase and Rent Back.You can find more information and detail HERE
London MPs along the HS2 route have come together to call for better mitigation and compensation in urban areas. Please help support this message by signing this petition.
PLEASE  SIGN AND THEN SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY!
 
General Election.
The general election will be held on May 7th this year and the candidates from all parties will undoubtedly be out canvassing in earnest for your votes. HAHS2 remain a non politically aligned campaign group and we will leave it up to you to decide
who – if anyone – will have the most influence to help Stop HS2 should they be elected.However we would strongly urge you to raise HS2 as an important election issue with anyone who should come knocking on your door to looking for your vote!
Funding.
We are very grateful for all the donations we have received recently and much of the progress that has been made over the last few years could not have happened without your generosity.
Please do think about make a donation if you can.
If you can contribute in any small way, donations will be gratefully received either via Paypal on our website by clicking the donate button HERE or by sending cheques to Hillingdon Against HS2 to: 8 Almond Close, Ruislip , HA46EB
 
You can also help raise funds really easily – FOR FREE! as you do your everyday shopping online – please register HERE
Once again,Many Thanks for your continued interest and support.

Ruislip Against HS2 42

Please find a recent update on HS2 from “Ruislip Against HS2″….

Dear Supporters,

Another year of campaigning against HS2 is coming to an end, it’s been a busy year with no let up in our efforts and we’d like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued interest and support for all that we do.
You will see from the news below that, as always, there is still a lot happening and we anticipate the next 6 months will be no different, particularly with Hillingdon Council,residents and councillors appearing before the HS2 Select Committee – and let’s not forget there is an election coming so there is everything to play for yet!
For now, Hilllingdon Against HS2 would like to wish you a very Happy Christmas, we hope you enjoy the festivities over the holidays and we look forward to 2015 hopefully being the year we finally see the end of HS2.
PETITIONING
The HS2 Select Committee has already begun hearing petitions from Birmingham down along the route. We hadn’t anticipated Hillingdon petitioners being called until after the general election. However the parliamentary timetable for January has been released
and has 15th January marked as the date The Committee will conduct a tour of the Colne Valley. This indicates that our petitions will follow on, and since we should be given 4 weeks notice we can expect proceedings to start in mid February so we need to be prepared!
Click HERE for more information about petitioning.
URGENT
We will be holding  meetings / workshop s on 21st Jan, in conjunction with Hillingdon Council, to offer everyone who has petitioned, the opportunity to get advice, help and information to help prepare for their appearance before The Select Committee.
If you have submitted a petition please get in touch ( if you haven’t already done so)  for more details of this meeting.     info@ruislip-against-hs2.co.uk.
 
It is also important to note that if you are a petitioner, HS2Ltd may contact you directly to try and negotiate a deal with you, in order that you might withdraw your petition. If this should happen you should seek legal advice immediately so please do contact us for help.
HS2Ltd will also be seeking to carry out some investigative works on safeguarded land.If you are contacted ,it is not obligatory for you to comply, please do contact us and we can help advise you.
 
The BBC recently revisited Ickenham and Ruislip to follow up on ongoing local HS2 issues.For the first time, Nick Hurd MP appeared on camera to criticise HS2. He confirmed that he will vote against the bill in parliament next year if concessions to mitigation and compensation are not met. You can see the footage here:
 
BORIS JOHNSON
As you may know Boris is the prospective Conservative parliamentary candidate for South Ruislip and Uxbridge, when Sir John Randall steps down as MP.
Ruislip Against HS2 recently had a personal meeting with Boris where we were able to highlight many of the ongoing local issues within his potential constituency. He clearly has a genuine interest in understanding the impacts of HS2 across Hillingdon and it was obvious that he shares many of our concerns. He has made a statement that he will vote against HS2 at the 3rd reading of the hybrid bill in parliament, should he become MP at the general election in May, if the following conditions are not met; that the Northolt tunnel through Ruislip be extended across The Colne Valley, that the Heathrow Spurs be dropped, and that there is a link from HS2 to HS1. He also recognises that plans for Euston are in disarray and need serious reconsideration.
Boris is keen to hear more from potential constituents and would like to know your views on HS2. It is now possible to contact him outside of his mayoral commitments so please do write to him to let him know how important HS2 is as an election issue.

Hillingdon  Conservatives,Bay Lodge,36 Harefield Road,Uxbridge,Middlesex,UB8 1PH

E-mail    admin@hillingdonconservatives.org

You can read more about our meeting and his statement in these articles.

Don’t forget there are daily news updates on our Facebook Page too. Please do join in on social media and if you use Twitter please tweet using #HS2 and #STOPHS2
COMPENSATION
The government have made no new announcements since the last consultation other than to say that any new compensation schemes have been delayed until January 2015, meaning for many it will be the 5th Christmas living with the blight of HS2 and not knowing where they stand in respect of compensation.
Hillingdon Council along with other affected Councils and MPs have launched a new petition specifically to put pressure on government to help highlight how unfairly people in London, affected by HS2, are being treated.
 
PLEASE CLICK THE LINK TO SIGN THIS PETITION AND THEN SHARE IT WITH FRIENDS AND FAMILY
 
FUNDING
As always the campaign to Stop HS2,fight for fair mitigation and compensation as well as lobbying parliament, relies on financial support. Much of the progress that has been made over the last few years could not have happened without donations to the cause.
We are grateful to all those who have made contributions in the past but we need to keep support going!
Please do think about make a donation if you can.
If you can contribute in any small way, donations will be gratefully received either via Paypal on our website by clicking the donate button HERE or by sending cheques to Hillingdon Against HS2 to: 8 Almond Close, Ruislip , HA46EB
 
You can also help raise funds really easily – FOR FREE! as you do your everyday shopping online – please register HERE
Once again,Many Thanks for your continued interest and support, Happy Christmas and Best Wishes for 2015.

Ruislip and Hillingdon Against HS2