Our place has been left to rot

HILLCREST, a four-bedroom 1920s property with nearly 17 acres and a tennis court, was sold to HS2 for £1.7million in January 2016 by retired engineer Alec Moir and his wife Judith.

Initial plans put the rail route through the couple’s land. But the property has stood empty since the sale. Mr Moir, who lived there for 37 years, said: ‘We got a fair value for the 15 acres of land.’ But he said HS2 ‘undervalued’ the house and 1.7 acres around it, adding: ‘The house and garden have been left to rot.’