A lawyer from the firm who represented High Speed 2 Action Alliance (HS2AA) - who won a case against the government today - expressed delight over the victory on the compensation challenge.
This was never a Nimby argument. Many thousands of people living along the route will not be able to sell their homes for some 15 years because their homes are blighted.
They should not have to bear the burden for this national project.
We hope now that proper arrangements are put in place by the Government for compensation for those who live by the proposed HS2 route to make it possible for them to move if and when they wish, in the same way that the rest of us can.
– Richard Stein, Leigh Day law firm who represented HS2AA
The High Court ruled that the consultation process for compensating those affected by the HS2 high-speed rail scheme "was so unfair as to be unlawful".
Two trains pass through Church Fenton, North Yorkshire where it is proposed the HS2 railway will link with the East Coast Mainline. Credit: Anna Gowthorpe/PA Wire
The decision was a victory for the High Speed 2 Action Alliance (HS2AA), which consists of more than 70 affiliated action groups and residents' associations.
The HS2AA case was one of five separate cases brought to block the rail scheme in its current form - it was the only case to succeed.
Mr Justice Ouseley, sitting at London's High Court, is now hearing submissions from lawyers on the appropriate remedy.
Government consultations on compensating those affected by the proposed HS2 high-speed rail scheme were today ruled "unlawful" by the High Court, lawyers Leigh Day said.
