Work on HS2 halted as Buckinghamshire Council rejects lorry route applications

Buckinghamshire Council has refused to approve lorry route applications serving HS2 sites, believing that the work will bring the county to a standstill.

It means work on the high speed railway has ground to a halt while the two sides are at loggerheads, with the secretary of state now stepping in to decide how to proceed.

The council claimed HS2 had not provided enough information about HGV movements on the A413/A355 corridor and their impact.

It also said the rail company had refused to share key details and that it was already witnessing “the devastating environmental damage” to Buckinghamshire.

Martin Tett, council leader, said: “Buckinghamshire Council has consistently opposed the building of HS2.

“Not only do we doubt the strategic case for it, but we also recognised the negative impact it would have on our local communities up and down the line.

“The use of the A413/A355 for hundreds of heavy lorry movements a day for several years is a massive issue for Buckinghamshire.

He added: “Before considering lorry route applications, the council has to ensure that the cumulative impact of the additional HS2 HGVs on the A413/A355 will not bring Buckinghamshire to a standstill.”

But HS2 said it had tried to work with the council to resolve the issues and it had provided additional information “on a number of occasions”.

It confirmed that it had appealed the decision.

An HS2 spokeswoman said: “We are disappointed that Buckinghamshire Council have yet to decide on our lorry route applications, despite HS2 submitting our first application in June last year.

“We are confident that we have fully complied with our obligations to assess the impact of large goods vehicles on the local road network in accordance with our obligations to Parliament.

“Our applications are made to allow us to proceed with construction of our own internal haul roads which will also help remove traffic from local roads.”

The spokeswoman said: “We are working on a programme of junction improvements across Bucks and an additional £3.9m is also available to the council through the HS2 road safety fund.

“We remain committed to continue working with the council to minimise the impacts of HS2 construction traffic.”