Residents near HS2's planned viaducts near Solihull have reacted with a mixture of resignation and fury to the plans - while local politicians have urged HS2 to work more closely with local residents and communities.
Earlier this month, HS2 issued pictures of a 425-metre long viaduct that will go through Balsall Common, with another planned to go through land around the River Blythe.
The Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) visited the area to speak to residents about the plans, as .
HS2 has said the Balsall Common viaduct has been designed to minimise flood risk and will be integrated into the landscape to give pedestrians maximum visibility. It added that architects had taken into account the local ecology and wildlife habitats.
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Husband and wife John and Michele Bryant at the Railway Inn in Berkswell told the LDRS of the 鈥榩ure destruction鈥 of the countryside near their home in Burton Green.
John said: 鈥淚t is extremely annoying. Where the woods were, it was beautiful. We knew it was coming, but we didn鈥檛 realise just how bad it would be.
鈥淒uring the heatwave,鈥 John continued, 鈥渢he site was like a dustbowl. Then cool air would blow over the earth and it felt like a blow heater.鈥
The couple said they had been back and forth with HS2 about the work taking place.
A few doors down from the pub, 82-year-old Marcia Bruffin, told the LDRS: 鈥淵ou鈥檙e too late! Do you hear that? That鈥檚 a crane, I can see them from my windows. Some people had their houses taken off them, some of us had compensation 鈥 we couldn鈥檛 do anything about it.
鈥淚 fought for a very long time to stop HS2, for 30 years I鈥檝e known about it.鈥 After years of struggle, the pensioner added that she has resigned herself to the fact that HS2 is an unstoppable force.
鈥淭he garden is the only thing I鈥檝e got. I can鈥檛 fight on my own, I鈥檓 too little.鈥
It is worth noting that Marcia and other residents said they had accepted compensation from HS2. Meanwhile, John and Michele said their house was fitted with triple glazing at the expense of the high-speed rail company.
Cllr Diane Howell (Cons, Meriden) is the cabinet member for Communities and Leisure on Solihull Council. Speaking after an HS2 Implementation Advisory meeting in July, she said: 鈥淭o date, we have been very disappointed with the current plans.
鈥淚 accept this will inevitably be a large structure but given its prominence, I would have hoped for a more sensitive interpretation. One thing that is important to the community is minimising the hard concrete 鈥 Berkswell Parish Council has been lobbying for some years for transparent noise barriers, so it was particularly disappointing that this has not been referenced.
鈥淚 asked if the design would be reworked following public comments and whether the new design would then be put back out to public engagement and Balfour Beatty Vinci advised that this would happen 鈥 I do hope it does as we want as a community to work with them to make this structure as acceptable as possible.鈥
The CGI images of the viaducts are intended to show what they will look like in ten years鈥 time. Meriden MP Saqib Bhatti also voiced his opposition in a letter to the Minister of State for Transport.
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He said: 鈥淭he viaduct is just another example of HS2 treating the residents of Balsall Common as second class compared to other areas of the country where they have taken huge steps to mitigate the effect of the construction and also, provided viaduct designs that are much more in keeping with the local area.
鈥淒espite promising to the House of Commons Transport Select Committee that the local community of Balsall Common would be provided with design options for consultation, HS2 has failed to offer any alternatives. For this reason, I strongly endorse the petition regarding this issue and will continue to do everything I can to hold HS2 to account.
鈥淚 strongly urge HS2, yet again, to work with the residents and parish councils to provide realistic options for the design of the viaduct. Any design options for Balsall Common area should be as favourable as those granted for the Colne Valley Viaduct.鈥
On social media, several users expressed their dismay at the designs. Mia Wake said the CGI images 鈥渇orgot the graffiti鈥 while Michael Brittain simply called it an 鈥渆yesore鈥.
Not all comments were negative 鈥 Chris Mark Davies wrote on Facebook: 鈥淎mazing engineering that will bring prosperity to the area for generations to come.鈥 However, a reply from Trevor Vaisey said: 鈥淒ream on, massive white elephant like the M6 toll.鈥
The LDRS contacted HS2 for an official reply to some of the claims made by locals. It said: 鈥淗S2 Ltd is committed to engaging with communities affected by the building of the new railway, and to minimising impacts wherever possible.
鈥淭here has been minimal vegetation clearance in this area, and new planting around the Balsall Common Viaduct has been carefully designed to integrate the structure into the local landscape. There will be new woodland planting, including an area north of Truggist Lane to create screening of the railway.
鈥淲e will also create new wetlands and ponds and are looking at the potential to connect public pathways to the Kenilworth Greenway. We are currently reviewing feedback on the design of the Balsall Common viaduct from our recent community events, attended by over 200 local people, before sharing the final designs.鈥
