FARMERS’ fields will be used to dump earth from the HS2 tunnel.
The land, which HS2 Ltd describes as ‘in Harvil Road’, will take material excavated from the tunnel whose portal will be close to the northern edges of Ickenham.
The shock revelation, in a letter from Transport Minister Simon Burns to Ruislip, Northwood and Pinner Tory MP Nick Hurd has added insult to injury for people in the Ickenham area, after their pleas for the tunnel to be extended past their community were rejected. Instead, the tunnel by-product will be left on their doorsteps, on a piece of land not previously earmarked for use by HS2.
Lottie Jones of Ruislip Against HS2 said once again the people in the area were getting the dirty end of the stick.
She said: “It is another blow to residents in Ickenham but again we are not in the least bit surprised that HS2 Ltd are, at this late stage, adding in more areas that will be needed to facilitate HS2.
“[It is] yet another example of their incompetence in not planning properly, not understanding our area and not including such detail in the Draft Environmental Statement.
“It begs the questions: what else haven’t they told us, and how much more are we going to have to deal with?”
Brian Adams of Ickenham Residents’ Association (IRA), said: “It does seem like this waste we were told would be removed will now be dumped right here in Ickenham.”
It had been hoped the earth could be removed by rail, at least as far as the M25 motorway, for disposal elsewhere, to avoid trucking it through the fringes of the village along Breakspear Road.
Mr Burns’ letter says the extra land is needed to make ‘wildlife habitats’ as well as for the materials taken from the tunnel excavation.
A spokesman for HS2 Ltd, said: "We appreciate this is the first time many of these property owners have been contacted about the HS2 project. All affected parties will have an opportunity to respond via the formal Environmental Statement once the hybrid Bill has been introduced to Parliament by the end of the year.
"We have been clear from the beginning that the draft Environmental Statement stated it represented a snapshot of Phase One at March 2013. It also stated that Phase One would further develop as a result of the consultation and design work would be on-going. These new requirements arise from our on-going work to develop the design and improve mitigation along the route."
