Construction traffic for HS2 could drive right through the heart of two towns

Maps published by the Campaign to Protect Rural England show routes for HGVs that would go right through both towns on the way to construction sites near Cubbington, Offchurch, Stoneleigh and Burton Green.

Parts of the high-speed rail route could take up to seven years to build.

Ralph Smyth, senior transport campaigner for the CPRE, said: “Leamington thought it was going to be unaffected by HS2 but our maps show for the first time that actually there will be construction traffic going through the heart of this beautiful town.

“That could mean many lorries a day for a couple of years running through the town with the noise, the pollution and the congestion.”

HS2’s chief executive Alison Munro has said that new data on the number of people that will be affected by the rail project are based on a “worst case” scenario.

She said she expected to minimise the number of lorries travelling to and from the construction project by re-using 95 per cent of the material that is excavated.

The chief executive has also described reports that the HS2 project will cost £80 billion - more than double the official estimate - as ‘absurd’.

She has said she does not recognise the figure given in a report by the Institute of Economic Affairs and that she is confident the cost will overrun.

The Birmingham Chamber of Commerce Group have also responded saying the IEA’s report is ‘short sighted’ and based on ‘wild guesses’.

Speaking on a television report this week, Warwick District Council leader Cllr Michael Doody (Con, Radford Semele) said: “The object of this council, in joining with other councils to make 51M, is to stop this ridiculous scheme.

“It gets more ridiculous day by day and even this weekend we were told it is going to cost £80 billion when we were told initially it would cost £35 billion.

“It is ridiculous.”

To view the map click here