Campaigners meet with Doncaster mayor over HS2

Residents in a Doncaster village who fear they could have their peace shattered by HS2 have held a meeting with the mayor of Doncaster.
Barnburgh and Harlington against HS2 Action Group held a day of action with helium balloons in place to show the height and width of the HS2 embankment when it goes through Barnburgh, Doncaster.Barnburgh and Harlington against HS2 Action Group held a day of action with helium balloons in place to show the height and width of the HS2 embankment when it goes through Barnburgh, Doncaster.
Barnburgh and Harlington against HS2 Action Group held a day of action with helium balloons in place to show the height and width of the HS2 embankment when it goes through Barnburgh, Doncaster.

Mayor Ros Jones met with Barnburgh residents at Barnburgh and Harlington Village Hall to hear their concerns over the plans to route HS2 through the Dearne Valley, close to their homes.

Doncaster Council lodged a response to the plans last year, objecting to the route, raising concerns over the economic impact of the route, and calling for the highest possible level of mitigation.

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The Free Press is campaigning for any residents affected by HS2 to get fair compensation.

Among those who spoke to Mrs Jones at the meeting was a couple who had moved to Harlington from the Wakefield area because they had previously been concerned that their previous home would be affected by the earlier proposed Meadowhall route.

Mrs Jones said: "These people are again feeling that their home could be blighted. The plans for routing trains past Barnburgh and the surrounding areas involve creating giant embankments.

"The advice we have been given is that the best way to get things changed is through the parliamentary process, rather than public inquiries, and am passing information on to the MPs, Ed MIliband and John Healey.

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"In some cases, compensation is individual for each person, but compensation has to be realistic, so people can move to comparable properties.

"If you look at the landscape in Barnburgh, there are beautiful vistas now, which will be replaced for some by a giant embankment."

John Gillespie, of the Barnburgh and Harlington against HS2 Action Group, said the meeting had provided reassurance to residents that the local authority was still opposed to the planned Dearne route

Last year, the action group put helium balloons in place to show the height and width of the HS2 embankment when it goes through Barnburgh, Doncaster.

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Doncaster residents and community leaders affected by HS2 are due to attend the latest HS2 advisory forum next week, an event drawn up to keep residents involved in the compensation process and how plans for the high speed rail route are developing.

It will be the first of the meetings since the Government changed its rail ministers following Theresa May's cabinet re-shuffle. Nusrat Ghani replaced Paul Maynard as the minister in charge of HS2.