Disgruntled Chiltern residents have raised fresh concerns over the impact the major HS2 project will have on rural villages and called for the company to produce a long-awaited traffic report.
Residents gathered at the Chiltern District Council (CDC) offices on Monday for updates on the Chiltern stretch of the controversial high speed rail project.
The impact of traffic continues to play on the minds of concerned councillors and villagers – with one resident urging Bucks County Council (BCC) to block HS2 roadworks until a traffic impact report is produced.
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Another resident said villagers have already seen the direct impact displacement traffic will have in the Chiltern area, after preliminary HS2 roadworks started over the summer.
He added HS2 has “lost a lot of good will” after it failed to carry out traffic surveys as promised.
The resident said: “When the A413 had some temporary roadworks over the summer in order to do some road investigation work, traffic lights were put in and the traffic hold ups from that single operation for about four or five days was horrific.
“The villages around saw the direct impact of that on the displacement of traffic. So every little thing that HS2 and the contractors do is construction as far as we are concerned.”
Speaking at the meeting, HS2 community liaison officer, Vernon Loo, insisted he has been “pushing” bosses to produce a traffic report, and will continue to work on the issue.
This week it was announced road works to create a temporary haul road from the A413 in Great Missenden to the north portal of the Chiltern Tunnel have been delayed until January due to an archaeological discovery on site.
Cabinet member for transport at BCC, Mark Shaw, said “it would not make sense” to stop the Great Missenden roadworks as they “are intended to mitigate the impacts of construction”.
He added BCC has been urging HS2 to produce the promised traffic survey, however details have not been released.
Cllr Shaw said: “Surveys are intended to monitor the impacts of the main works which will not start until June 2019 at the earliest.
“Even if the county council had the ability to withhold consent to the highway works at Great Missenden, which cannot be unreasonably withheld, it would not make sense as these works are intended to mitigate the impacts of construction.
“If delayed, this could further encourage rat running through the village lanes.
“We have been pressing HS2 Ltd to carry out the hilltop survey which was promised during the parliamentary process however they have yet to share the scoping of this with us for discussion and agreement.”
HS2 was contacted for a further comment, however did not respond before going to print.
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