'Chaos for nothing' if HS2 plans change

People living close to where the second phase of HS2 is supposed to start have questioned suggestions it may be axed.

Rising costs have led to conjecture the high-speed rail line may not be extended from the Midlands to north west England, as originally intended.

People talking in Lichfield, Staffordshire, said the disruption and "daily chaos" of the project would have been for nothing if plans were changed.

The government stated its "focus remains on delivering" the HS2 project.

Darell Baumber, owner of Jellybean Technology based in Fradley, said the section to Crewe, known as Phase 2a, "needs to carry on".

"If you come into the village and drive down Wood End Lane [in Lichfield], you'll see what impact HS2 has had on it," he said.

"It looks like a tornado's been to the area... The displacement of people's lives, wildlife, the interruption and just the daily chaos will be for nothing."

Mr Baumber added people using Lichfield Trent Valley station could currently reach London in 80 minutes, which is "pretty quick, isn't it?".

One woman, speaking in Lichfield, said the idea of scrapping the project was ridiculous.

"If they're gonna not do the Manchester bit, then it's just been so much disruption for no reason," she said.

Another stated: "I think it would have been better if they'd have just concentrated on the HS2 line to the north as a starting point. I think that was needed most, rather than London to Birmingham."

But Mattius Szablan, from Lichfield, said: "[HS2] keeps a lot of people [in] jobs, so it keeps the money coming in. Whether it's expensive? Probably, yes."

Work has started in parts of Staffordshire and Cheshire, with the compulsory purchase of land and property.

Newcastle-under-Lyme borough councillor Gary White, who chairs the Whitmore and Madeley district HS2 group, said he had "mixed emotions."

"If... it is cancelled, why have we gone through 10 years of absolute hell throughout our community?," he said.

"Then, when you look at the positive side to it, yes we'd welcome it being cancelled and we'd really hope that it does, because it would avoid another seven years of having to go through the build process."

High Speed 2 Limited said it was "currently constructing the railway between the West Midlands and Old Oak Common, in line with instruction from the government".

"In terms of decisions regarding the route, connections and what is being built, that is a matter for the government, so it's for them to respond," it said.

The Department for Transport stated: "The HS2 project is already well under way with spades in the ground, and our focus remains on delivering it."

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