A decision on granting permission for a giant HS2 viaduct in rural Solihull has been deferred after the project's design was slammed by local residents who accused HS2 of not conducting a proper consultation.
Planning permission for the Balsall Common viaduct was been deferred by Solihull Council at a heated meeting on Wednesday that saw accusations of HS2 treating local people as ‘second-class citizens’ and not conducting proper consultation.
In the council chamber, HS2 was accused of ‘mushroom management’ when dealing with locals – defined by a Balsall Parish Councillor as ‘keep them in the dark and feed them manure’.
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Meanwhile, representatives of HS2 Ltd doubled down on their consultation process, insisting the designs had gone through many stages of development off the back of community feedback. Planners had recommended the scheme for approval prior to the meeting.
The 425 metre-long structure would bridge a gap over floodplain land to the northeast of Berkswell railway station. Once finished, it would connect high-speed strains travelling from the south through the Interchange station and onto Curzon Street in central Birmingham.
The deferral means planning officers will go back to HS2 and look to present a different solution to members of the committee. The powerful High Speed Rail Act 2017 decrees that the viaduct will happen at some point, but approval for certain design and construction matters must still be given by the local authority.
Local resident Richard Lloyd started the debate, saying: “Hideous means something that should be hidden, but we know that can’t be done. We are told we must have a brutalist design with exposed beams, lumps of projecting concrete and piers every 25 metres.
“We shouldn’t be in this position. Parliament told HS2 that the opinion of residents mattered, not some design panel that never came near what they eulogised about.
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“This council has been given the power of refusal in the HS2 Act and I hope that you will use it. We’ve been waiting years for constructive dialogue. It’s a monstrous procession of concrete V-signs – no, no, no.”
HS2 officer Julia Summerfield said in response: “The proposed design has gone through a number of iterations. This current design is less carbon-intensive, improves flood management, provides a better experience for footpath users and widens views across the landscape.
“The design of the viaduct is a carefully considered balance between respecting its local context and achieving an environmentally sustainable solution. The landscaping proposals are being continually developed in consultation with the local community.”
Meriden ward councillor Andrew Burrow said HS2 had failed to consult on what was an ‘ugly lump of concrete’. He told colleagues some decoration that made sense to local people could have been added, or that HS2 could have created a more elegant design as seen at the Birmingham Curzon No 2 viaduct.
“My community has to live with this for generations,” he said. “Frankly, I feel like we have been offered a second-rate design.”
Local MP for Meriden Saqib Bhatti also had his say at the meeting, calling on the council to refuse the application until HS2 comes back with new designs that better represent the local community. He said: “I believe the design of this viaduct is another example of HS2 treating the residents of Balsall Common as second-class citizens compared to other areas of the country.
“HS2 continue to fail to understand that they have a responsibility to take the community with them. My constituents in Balsall Common and Berskwell have a voice, and that voice must be heard.”
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Chair of the planning committee Cllr Richard Holt said HS2 had a ‘very high-handed and overbearing attitude’ to this application. He even added that the high-speed rail company’s failure to listen to residents was ‘an affront to local democracy’.
The committee chose not to reject the scheme, instead deciding that work can still be done within the community to address the issues raised by local people. Deferral was agreed unanimously by all members present.
Earlier this week Mark Thurston announced he was stepping down as chief executive of HS2 Ltd in September, after six-and-a-half years leading the Government-owned company.