HS2 will destroy our historic home
HS2 will run right through the living room of my beautiful, historic home. When we were visited by an HS2 representative and shown the plans, we were ticked off for getting emotional. What arrogant bullies! My husband Ron’s family have lived in this area since 1924. Ron set up his small garage business nearby more than 50 years ago on the day after he left school at the age of 15. We live in the Colne Valley, part of which is a nature reserve and a site of special scientific interest. There are muntjac deer, badgers and birds such as tufted duck, pochard and shoveler. In 2004, we bought the then derelict Dews Farm House from the local council. It is a listed building dating from 1575 and has historical significance — Elizabeth I visited and it was the birthplace of Cecil John Kinross, who was awarded the Victoria Cross in World War I. When we acquired the property, which was our long-held dream, we spent ten years of careful renovation to restore it to its former glory. Despite having a unique home, my husband and I are not wealthy. Ron worked long hours for years to ensure we would have a wonderful home to pass on to our children and grandchildren. Sadly, our idyllic lifestyle will be destroyed by HS2. Not only will our house be demolished to make way for the high-speed railway, but Ron’s business will need to move. We are heartbroken. But if the loss of our home wasn’t enough, HS2 has been despicable in its dealings with us. We are expected to vacate our home by March 2020 despite the fact they have yet to agree on a fair valuation for the property. My husband’s business is expected to be moved by the end of this month despite no funds having been paid to him by HS2 in order to facilitate this. We have friends whose livelihoods have been destroyed by HS2 and we’re concerned the same will happen to us. The BBC’s Panorama has reported HS2’s callous disregard for small business owners, with many waiting a year or more for compensation. This is not how my husband and I expected to be spending our twilight years. We have no choice but to carry on fighting. This is not what the public was promised with HS2, but it’s the shameful reality.
ANNE RYALL, Harefield, Uxbridge.