2 days ago
‘I was forced to sell my land for HS2 leg days before it was axed. Now I fear I'll never get it back'
A father left feeling 'bereaved' by the forced sale of a quarter of his dairy farm for the axed HS2 northern line fears he'll never be able to afford to buy back the land.
Edward Cavenagh-Mainwaring lost around 250 acres of land his family had farmed for more than 900 years in Staffordshire when the Department for Transport (DFT) bought it through a compulsory purchase order (CPO) for the high-speed rail line in October 2023.
Just five days later, former prime minister Rishi Sunak announced that the route, from Birmingham to Manchester, would not go ahead.
In total, the DfT spent £592m on buying land and properties along the axed Phase 2a and 2b routes, The Independent can reveal. The cash was spent on 1,001 properties, as well as 6.5 square miles of land.
At least 710 homes are now rented out by HS2, making almost £9m a year, according to a report by the i paper in December.
Yet despite the decision to scrap phase 2 of the line almost two years ago, there has been no start to the sale of surplus land and properties, including in the Staffordshire villages of Madeley and Whitmore, where dozens of homes were bought.
Last year, a transport minister said no land would be sold until the government had decided on an alternative 50-mile railway line. The Independent understands detailed future plans for phase 2 land will be released in the summer by the DfT.
Surplus land will then be sold, with previous owners getting the first chance to buy - but at the current market value, instead of what they sold it for.
However, Mr Cavenagh-Mainwaring said that the below-market sale of his land under CPO in 2023, combined with a rise in prices since then, means he won't be able to afford it.
He said: 'Having gone through the difficult process of what effectively felt like a bereavement to me. Losing that area of the farm I love and going from the one day, I can walk on the land, to the next day I'm trespassing.
'To then find out the line wasn't going to be built was a shock, and also a relief.
'I would now like to get the land back at fair price. It was my family legacy to look after it, but I worry I won't be able to buy it.'
Under the CPO, a final agreement for the price of the land purchased from Mr Cavenagh-Mainwaring has still not been reached, but he has received 90 per cent of the DfT's offer of around £11,000 an acre.
Mr Cavenagh-Mainwaring believes he'd be charged £15,000 an acre if he were to buy it back now.
'It's really a scandal,' he said. 'People have not been treated properly, and a lot of people have been left mentally hurt.'
Speaking in The Commons on Wednesday, Transport Secretary Heidi Alexander labelled the HS2 project 'an appalling mess', as she revealed it would not meet a target for the opening of the first phase of the line - London to Birmingham - by 2033.
The issue of people facing difficulties buying back properties was raised in the House of Lords last year, when Lord Cromwell sought assurance on reports that people were being offered land back at considerably higher prices.
In the National Audit Office's latest report on the cancellation of HS2, it said the DfT and HS2 would look to achieve value for money for the taxpayer when drawing up plans for the disposal of land and property.
Ten properties on the Phase 1 leg have been sold as part of a pilot project for the disposal scheme, The Independent understands.
The DfT bought property and land under various schemes during the planning of phases 2a and 2b, including through CPOs, voluntary purchase and need-to-sell schemes.
In total, for Phase 2a, from Birmingham to Crewe, £224m was spent on 251 homes, for Phase 2b west to Manchester, £205m was spent on 195 homes, and for Phase 2b east to Leeds, £164m was spent on 555 homes.
The purchases hit communities where families and friends who had lived together for generations were split apart.
In the Staffordshire hamlet of Whitmore Heath, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, Phill Dann was forced to sell his dream home, equipped with four bedrooms, a landscaped garden and a private bar, for the axed line.
When contacted by The Independent, he doubted anyone would want to buy back a home after their 'lives had been wrecked and upheaved'.
In the adjacent village of Whitmore, resident Steve Colclough said the landscape of the community changed, with long-standing businessmen and women moving away and their families, replaced with new residents moving in to rent.
'Not only has it been a complete waste of time and money,' he said. 'But it has torn communities apart. I doubt many who lost their homes will be able to now come back with prices going up.'
A HS2 spokesperson said: 'HS2 will sell properties that are no longer needed for the railway, in line with government policy.
'Properties will only be sold once confirmed as surplus, and sales will follow a structured process, including compliance with the Crichel Down Rules and market valuation requirements.'
A DfT spokesperson said: 'As the Transport Secretary said, this government is delivering HS2 from Birmingham to London after years of mismanagement, flawed reporting and ineffective oversight
'We will set out detailed plans for the land and property no longer required for the project later this summer – ensuring any sales deliver value for money and do not disrupt local property markets.'
