A Government consultation into the compensation of people affected by the planned HS2 high-speed rail scheme has been ruled unlawful by the High Court.
The plans, which campaigners claimed would have destroyed parts of the countryside in Northamptonshire, between Upper Boddington and Brackley, and other areas, are highly controversial.
Legal experts said the project will probably be delayed rather than stopped as the Government still won on nine of the 10 key points
Ministers are “not expected to appeal” over the single ruling.
The first part of HS2, which aimed to be running by 2025, would see a high-speed line from London to Birmingham.
Judicial reviews were brought by protest groups who said there were failures in consultation and in assessing the environmental impact.
The Government had previously said it “struck the right balance” between people’s concerns and the national interest.
Five judicial reviews have been brought by four protest groups, including several councils and a golf club, that are among more than 70 groups opposed to HS2.
The objections being brought to court also include the claim that the Government did not look properly at alternatives to the scheme.
The Government argues that cutting rail journey times and overcrowding will bring “jobs, growth and prosperity”.
Comments