HS2: Housing estate in limbo after eastern leg axed

The proposal to run the new HS2 line through swathes of the countryside was vigorously opposed by people set to live in its shadow. But now one doomed housing estate on the former route has been spared after the government announced the high-speed line would stop at Sheffield. But some of those left behind say they have been left in limbo.

A few months ago, the brand-new Shimmer estate in Mexborough near Doncaster was doomed.

It was in the direct line of the eastern leg of HS2 - the high-speed rail link from the Midlands to Leeds - and was due to be demolished. Many of the homes here are empty. The ones that are occupied are rented, with just a handful still owned.

With the announcement that the line has been axed and replaced with a new Integrated Rail Plan, the Shimmer estate may have escaped its certain fate. But it is a shadow of what it once was.

"It's depressing," said one renter, who asked to remain anonymous. They've lived here a few months and said the rent was cheap but the estate was dying.

The roads are unfinished, playgrounds are fenced off and gardens are overgrown. But it wasn't meant to be like this.

"It's nice and a quiet area," one new renter said, gesturing towards the back of the estate.

"You can walk your dog down to the canal."

The 49-year-old, who did not want to give his name but agreed to be pictured, has only lived here for three weeks, moving from nearby Conisbrough.

"There's a few sold up thinking it was going ahead, and a lot just panicked," he said.

He now hopes more people will come back and breathe life back into the estate, adding: "I've met a few people who seem quite friendly and quite nice."

More than 200 new homes have been built since the estate began in 2011, but the threat of an 18m (60ft) high viaduct looming over their gardens was too much for many.

It led to HS2 becoming the largest land and property owner in Mexborough, according to political party Mexborough First.

"People who live on here have been left in complete limbo," local councillor Andy Pickering said.

"We still don't know where we are with it."

Councillor Pickering said HS2 had treated people badly, offering less than the market value for properties.

"Neighbours didn't know what next door was being offered. It's been a disgraceful affair."

The government has previously said HS2 was expected to pay a "fair" value for houses for both the taxpayer and homeowners.

Along the path of the proposed HS2 line, along the M18 and past fields that would have seen trains traveling up to 250mph, road signs to other nearby villages are like a roll call of worried and angry communities, many of whom set up action groups against HS2.

Some are saying the change in plans has been a win, but a couple of people on Shimmer are still trying to sell their homes.

One person told me they are now waiting for answers over what happens next, hoping they will be bought so they can start a new life.

"This estate has been in turmoil," councillor Sean Gibbons said. "There's only one or two homeowners who are still here."

He said people who still live here don't want to talk about their experiences over fears for the future, with renters worried about upsetting their landlords.

"You've got representatives of the government bullying them into taking a deal they don't want. That's how they've approached it."

A few people on the estate had no idea about the axed HS2 proposals. They had only rented here for a few months and saw their stay as short-term.

Work wouldn't have started on the eastern leg until 2033 at the earliest and not all of the houses on the estate would have been demolished to make way for the line.

For them, today was just another day.

"Mexborough is the forgotten town," said one woman, whose sister lives in a property that would be in the shadow of the viaduct.

She said she wasn't surprised to hear the project had been curtailed, adding: "We live up north, we never get anything, do we?"

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