Stop HS2

Stop HS2 is a national campaign group which opposes the High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project in England. The group was set up in 2010 under the slogan "No business case. No environmental case. No money to pay for it." The following year it organised a national conference and it has since challenged MPs, criticised HS2 plans and organised protest events. In 2020, the group commented on the Oakervee report and supports camps protesting construction in the Colne Valley Regional Park, Kenilworth and Wendover.

Stop HS2 at Whittington Big Green Fair, 2011

Foundation

Stop HS2 was set up in 2010 with the aim of stopping High Speed 2 being built, campaigning on both national and local levels.[1][2] According to the group, construction of the railway and its associated services will destroy woodland, affect local ecosystems and increase carbon emissions. Its slogan is "No business case. No environmental case. No money to pay for it."[3] Stop HS2 has challenged the predicted speeds and capacities of HS2.[4] The group tracks the evolving history of the HS2 project on its website.[5] Other groups opposing HS2 include the HS2 Action Alliance and the Woodland Trust.[6][7][8]

The group has a chairperson, a treasurer and a campaign manager, replying on donations to pay them. In 2011, it made a fundraiser to pay its campaign manager Joe Rukin.[1][2] Also in 2011, it organised a national conference to co-ordinate opposition to HS2. Every Member of Parliament was invited and speakers included transport expert Christian Wolmar and representatives from the Green Party, the RSPB, the UK Independence Party and The Wildlife Trusts.[9]

Campaigning
Protest banner in Harefield, 2015

Cheryl Gillan, MP for Amersham and Chesham, was challenged by Stop HS2 in 2012 for not following through on her threat to resign from her position as Secretary of State for Wales if HS2 was not cancelled.[10] As of 2020, Gillan was against the HS2 plans.[11]

In early 2018, Stop HS2 criticised plans for a viaduct in the Colne Valley Regional Park which would be 2.1 miles (3.4 km) long. The group voiced concerns about the Overhead Line Equipment (OLE) and the noise barriers.[12] Stop HS2 protested outside the Conservative Party conference in summer 2018, shouting "terrible train disaster, read all about it!" and inflating a white elephant.[13][14]

Stop HS2 organised a Stand for the Trees event in December 2019 with Extinction Rebellion and Save the Colne Valley Wildlife Protection Group which attracted 1,300 people. They walked through the nature reserve, ending up at the Blackford Pumping Station.[15]

After a government commissioned review of HS2 was published in 2020 with a dissenting view by its deputy chair Tony Berkley, the chairperson of Stop HS2 commented "The case for HS2 has always been poor, and is simply getting worse".[16] According to her analysis, the project was first predicted to cost £33 billion, figures were then revised upwards and as of early 2020, the expected cost had risen to £88 billion.[17] A leaked report in February 2020 then put the costs at £106 billion.[18][19] Rukin described the decision to continue during the coronavirus pandemic as "bafflingly irrational".[20]

In June 2020, participants in Stop HS2 and Extinction Rebellion made a seven day walk along the proposed railway line, starting at the site of Birmingham Curzon Street railway station and ending at Euston railway station in London.[19] Stop HS2 supports protest camps in places such as Crackley Woods near Kenilworth and Wendover.[21][22]

See also

References
  1. Wolmar, Christian (16 April 2014). "What's the point of HS2?". London Review of Books. Archived from the original on 11 March 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  2. "About Us". STOP HS2 – The national campaign against High Speed Rail 2 – HS2 – No business case, No environmental case, No money to pay for it. 30 November 2012. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  3. Lane, Matthew (2 March 2020). "Midlands focus: could HS2 turn Solihull into a boom town?". Property Investor. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  4. Edwards, Roseanne (11 February 2020). "'Boris' Big Blunder' – Stop HS2 speaks out over confirmation of high speed railway through Banburyshire". Banbury Guardian. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  5. Steavenson, Wendell (31 August 2019). "The waiting room: is there a future for HS2?". Prospect Magazine. Archived from the original on 19 February 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  6. "When will HS2 open and how much will it cost?". BBC News. 11 February 2020. Archived from the original on 30 April 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  7. Drury, Colin (15 January 2020). "HS2 will destroy ancient woodlands and 'huge swathes of irreplaceable' wildlife, report warns". The Independent. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  8. Bamford, Thomas (5 March 2019). "HS2 to 'decimate' Buckinghamshire's ancient woodlands, say Woodland Trust". Bucks Herald. Retrieved 25 July 2020.
  9. Samuel, A. (11 February 2011). "Stop HS2 group to hold a National Convention". RailUK. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  10. Millward, David (12 January 2012). "Tory MPs face high speed rail backlash". Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 May 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  11. Gillies, Kiera. "'HS2 is billions over budget' – MP Cheryl Gillan continues to condemn the controversial project". Bucks Free Press. Archived from the original on 25 January 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  12. Wareham, Stephanie (24 January 2018). "Campaigners criticise HS2 plans for 'one of the longest viaducts in UK'". Bucks Free Press. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  13. Burns, Patrick (15 July 2019). "'It's a high-speed high-risk strategy'". BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  14. "Conservative Party conference live". Law Gazette. 30 September 2018. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  15. "Over 1,000 turn out for anti-HS2 event in Bucks". Mix 96. 30 December 2019. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  16. "Storm breaks after Berkeley publishes his HS2 review". Rail News. 6 January 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  17. Burridge, Tom (12 November 2019). "HS2 should happen despite rising cost, review says". BBC News. Archived from the original on 21 June 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  18. Reid, David (11 February 2020). "UK commits to building high-speed rail line dubbed the most expensive in the world". CNBC. Archived from the original on 6 May 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  19. "Anti-HS2 campaigners begin week-long protest". BBC News. 20 June 2020. Archived from the original on 30 June 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  20. McLoughlin, Bill (16 May 2020). "Boris Johnson faces 'nightmare scenario' after decision on HS2 amid UK's economic meltdown". Express. Archived from the original on 31 May 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  21. Evans, Jack; Ram, Phoebe (6 May 2020). "HS2 protester 'spent three nights in hammock' as trees set to be felled". Nottingham Post. Archived from the original on 29 May 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
  22. Dean, Sam (6 January 2020). "Campaigners from across the country build campsite near Wendover to fight HS2". www.bucksherald.co.uk. Archived from the original on 7 January 2020. Retrieved 24 July 2020.
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