Villages unite to fight rail link (From thisisoxfordshire)

Villages unite to fight rail link

10:25am Thursday 9th September 2010 in

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FIVE villages in North Oxfordshire have banded together to fight a proposed high-speed rail route through the county.

The High-Speed Rail 2 (HS2) line was proposed in 2009 to provide a fast train line from London to Birmingham by 2025.

The planned line would travel through north east Oxfordshire, affecting villages including Finmere, Mixbury, Fringford, Fulwell and Newton Purcell and now concerned villagers have formed an action group called Villages of Oxfordshire Opposing HS2 (VoxOpp).

Chairman Bernie Douglas said their main objective was to get it routed away from their villages, as well as raising awareness and geting answers about the impact on the countryside.

He said: “There is a lot of support for this cause. We held a meeting in Mixbury in April before the group was formed and more than 80 people attended.

“This was in a village of only 100 houses, so the support is clear. People want answers.”

If built, trains on the line could reach speeds of up to 250mph and up to 36 trains would travel through the county every hour.

Mr Douglas said there would obviously be a major impact on the countryside, raising issues of noise pollution, the economic impact and power sources.

The group has also written to Transport Minister Philip Hammond and the company HS2 Ltd but has yet to receive an answer.

He said: “There are a raft of issues we need answered, but at the moment we are not getting any information.

“How can we get our views across if people are unwilling to give us more information?

“It is like trying to take on the whole industry with our hands tied behind our backs.”

Transport Minister Mr Hammond is visiting Oxfordshire later this month and VoxOpp are working with action groups from other counties to question him.

They will also be at Mixbury Fete on Saturday and travelling to other villages over coming months to raise awareness about HS2.

Mr Douglas said: “A train running at 250mph every three minutes in each direction is not something you can just close your window to and ignore.

“This will change the character of the landscape for good, as well as uprooting lives and sometimes whole communities on the route.”

A Department of Transport spokesman said: “High speed rail is a key part of the Government’s agenda and has the potential to play an important role in creating a low carbon economy.

“But we recognise that there may be significant consequences for some of those who live on or close to the proposed route.

“No final decision will be made on whether to proceed with a high speed line or on its route until any scheme has undergone a full public consultation, giving people an opportunity to have their say.”

Banbury MP Tony Baldry said he was “committed” to getting the necessary answers from Westminster.

He said: “It makes absolute sense to have an action group to represent the people of Oxfordshire and I will be in direct contact with them to get the answers they need.”

But he added: “People need to recognise that this is not a project that will be resolved this year or next year – we are at the start of a long process.”