BBC Countryfile report on HS2 threat to Chilterns AONB

BBC1's Countryfile report from John Craven (Jan 16th 2010) about the threat to England's Chilterns (officially classified as an Area Of Outstanding Natural Beauty) brought by the planned £17billion high-speed rail link. An Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is "a precious landscape whose distinctive character and natural beauty are so outstanding that it is in the nation's interest to safeguard them".

The development of HS2 is being promoted on strategic, economic and environmental grounds. The pro-HS2 spokeswoman in this programme (Julie Mills from Greengauge) ignores the following facts....
ENVIRONMENTAL: It is not green - 400km/h trains use 3 times the energy of 200km/h trains and HS2's case ignores the environmental costs such as the 72m width "no-vegetation" area being wider than Wembley.
REGIONAL BENEFITS: London will benefit more than regions as people head south rather than north.
BUSINESS CASE: Wildly optimistic assumptions are made such as demand being double that of more reputable forecasts and the competition from conventional rail is ignored.

Pro-rail enthusiast Christian Wolmar (elsewhere on Youtube), has made it clear that he strongly believes that the HS2 are a mistake and should NOT go ahead.

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[488scooby]

i live just over the road from pete waterman, if you look at his youtube video about HS2 he says he wont be around when its complete although i dont know why he said that because its going to take approx 17 yrs isnt it ,but he is quite happy using the west coast railway, the thing is the railways are full to capacity as you must be aware so what are they suppose to do, one thing i agree with though is that people should NOT be made to sell there houses,

[GordyFin]

@488scooby Exactly - so if you live in Warrington why did you state that you "live next to" a high speed line? Yes, no one's arging about the capactiy - that can be solved in other ways far more quickly and cheaper (details on Christian Wolmar's website). HS2 would only help the capacity on one route anyway at the expense of the rest of the network. The problem is we don't need speeds of 250mph producing straight lines that can't avoid sensitive areas and communities that it won't even serve.

[488scooby]

you wont even hear them ,i live next to one and it dont bother me, just a load of spoilt toffs.

[GordyFin]

@488scooby The Toffs argument has been debunked. People across all spectrums including the poorest of Camden are set to suffer. Most of the people who are set to gain from HS2 are rich businessmen (such as Pete Waterman) at the expense of the poor. Pete wants a fast train so he can commute to London quicker – why should I subsidise him? Latest estimates are that this would cost EVERY household in the country around £1200, most of whom would never use HS2.

[GordyFin]

@488scooby Re noise: HS2 Ltd themselves have produced noise maps for homes that would suffer noticeable increases in noise - even with mitigation measures in place. Please state exactly where you live so we can substantiate your claims that you live “next to” a high speed railway and can’t hear it. I assume you have another home apart from Warrington if you live “next to one”?

[GordyFin]

@488scooby It’s not just about noise, though. 150 rural footpaths (rights of way) are set to be severed by HS2 and only a handful are planned to be reinstated.

[aussieskiff]

@488scooby You live right next to Pete Waterman, he's a fellow model railway enthusiast like yourself ,we are talking real railways here not 00 gauge these are a lot louder than a 9-12 volt dc electric motor its not about Toffs its about the general public people like yourself but with out the toy set in the next room..I'm not a Toff ,I like the peace and tranquility of living in the countryside..and am 100% against this ...

[kaymcclain1]

They sure love Mr. Palmer over here in America.....

[488scooby]

@GordyFin sorry forgot to mention ,i went to the HS1line ,and then went and sat outside my house and compared the two for noise pollution, my line which is at the back of my house was a lot louder than HS1 if the trains will be going at 250 mph it makes them quieter, if beeching didnt close so many lines this wouldnt be needed i think you would agree, im a railway enthusiast but ive no interest in high speed railways whatsoever only the politics, i hope the outcome is what you or i want..