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 ‘pure destruction’ of the countryside near their home in Burton Green.
John said: “It is extremely annoying. Where the woods were, it was beautiful. We knew it was coming, but we didn’t realise just how bad it would be.
“During the heatwave,” John continued, “the site was like a dustbowl. Then cool air would blow over the earth and it felt like a blow heater.”
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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: “You’re too late! Do you hear that? That’s a crane, I can see them from my windows. Some people had their houses taken off them, some of us had compensation – we couldn’t do anything about it.
“I fought for a very long time to stop HS2, for 30 years I’ve known about it.” After years of struggle, the pensioner added that she has resigned herself to the fact that HS2 is an unstoppable force.
“The garden is the only thing I’ve got. I can’t fight on my own, I’m too little.”
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: “To date, we have been very disappointed with the current plans.
“I 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 – Berkswell Parish Council has been lobbying for some years for transparent noise barriers, so it was particularly disappointing that this has not been referenced.
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“I 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 – I do hope it does as we want as a community to work with them to make this structure as acceptable as possible.”
The CGI images of the viaducts are intended to show what they will look like in ten years’ 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: “The 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.
“Despite 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.
“I 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.”
On social media, several users expressed their dismay at the designs. Mia Wake said the CGI images “forgot the graffiti” while Michael Brittain simply called it an “eyesore”.
Not all comments were negative – Chris Mark Davies wrote on Facebook: “Amazing engineering that will bring prosperity to the area for generations to come.” However, a reply from Trevor Vaisey said: “Dream on, massive white elephant like the M6 toll.”
The LDRS contacted HS2 for an official reply to some of the claims made by locals. It said: “HS2 Ltd is committed to engaging with communities affected by the building of the new railway, and to minimising impacts wherever possible.
“There 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.
“We 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.”