There’s been an intriguing, if minor, development in the HS2 case this afternoon.
The Guardian reports that the Department of Transport has miraculously found £500 million
to spend on 1.5 miles of tunnelling to reduce aesthetic damage to the Chilterns, an area of outstanding natural beauty. The decision on HS2 was expected before Christmas, but Transport Secretary
Justine Greening has delayed it until after the New Year pending a feasibility study and further environmental impact assessments. The cash has materialised thanks to internal
efficiency savings within the £32bn scheme, which has led rural campaigners to fear that other beautification funds have been reallocated. Greening is expected to clarify these points in the
coming days.
Greening is striking a very different political tone to her predecessor Philip Hammond, who branded HS2’s determined opponents as ‘nimbys’. The precise reasons for this apparent change of heart are unclear.
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