HS2 says setback could cost taxpayers 'millions'

The company behind the HS2 rail project said taxpayers could face a bill running into "tens of millions of pounds" after a key phase of the scheme was blocked.

Permission for an underground chamber and ditch in Wendover, designed to manage groundwater as part of the high-speed rail line, was refused by Buckinghamshire Council.

Planning officers recommended approval, but the council said the proposed access track would cause harm to the "sensitive and protected Chilterns National Landscape".

HS2 said the decision could cause major delays and additional costs to the nearby construction of the Wendover Green Tunnel.

The plans followed advice from the Environment Agency and were intended to help regulate the flow of naturally occurring springs in the area.

It would have involved upgrading an existing access track to facilitate construction and allow for future maintenance.

The project had already been scaled back in response to residents' fears over proposed construction traffic for the works, including down the narrow Dobbins Lane, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service.

Councillors also opposed HS2's planned upgrades and extension of a farmer's access track and used the "harm" this would cause as their basis of their refusal.

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said it was considering its next steps.

"We are disappointed by the committee's decision given that the council's own officers recommended approval.

"As was made clear during the committee meeting, the cost to the taxpayer of this decision risks running into tens of millions of pounds as a result of knock-on delays to the construction of nearby structures," they added.

While the council acknowledged the need for the chamber itself, the council's Strategic Sites Committee concluded that this impact could reasonably be avoided or reduced with alternative plans.

A Buckinghamshire Council spokesperson said: "In the committee's discussions, it was made clear that the principle need of the chamber itself is supported but the reason for refusal was stated as harm created by the proposed access track."

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