Camden Council has warned that fair compensation will not be given to residents and businesses in urban areas affected by High Speed 2. Construction of the project’s first phase between Euston station – which sits within Camden – and Birmingham Curzon Street is due to begin next year.

But Camden Council leader Sarah Hayward has expressed concern that urban areas are only eligible for two of the five compensation schemes available to people in the countryside. This, she claims, is despite central London suffering some of the most acute and prolonged impacts from the construction of HS2.

“It’s simply not fair that Camden residents and businesses could spend years living next to a construction zone without a penny of compensation, which they would be entitled to in the countryside,” she said.

Ms Hayward highlighted her concerns as the High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Bill reached and successfully passed its Second Reading in the House of Lords last week. The bill is now moving to the Lords’ committee stage.

“We call on the Lords from the North of England and Scotland to recognise that if the Government fails to make significant changes to the compensation scheme now, cities like Manchester and Leeds could also lose out in Phase 2 of HS2,” Ms Hayward added.

A Department for Transport spokesperson said: “We have already agreed a number of measures with the London Borough of Camden to address local concerns about the impact of HS2, such as plans to pay for noise insulation in eligible homes.

“Rural areas will feel the effects of HS2 more than urban areas, where major construction projects are commonplace and properties relatively close to railways or building sites are often shielded from their effects by other buildings and background noise.

“Though some of the measures we have outlined are directed at rural areas only, this is not the full picture and we have gone beyond what is required by law in order to assist urban owner-occupiers.”

(Photo: HS2 Ltd)