Rail line threat to Sheffield area homes
Protest: People living on Station Road, Killamarsh, make views known about the proposals which could see homes bulldozed.
DOZENS of households in a village on the outskirts of Sheffield fear their homes could be ‘wiped off the map’ by the new High Speed 2 railway.
People living on Station Road, Killamarsh, are opposed to the scheme, which would see the tracks built west of the street.
Andy King, who moved there two years ago with wife Louise and son Jake, 12, said: “Homes on Station Road face being totally wiped off the map by this £34 billion white elephant.
“We are starting an action group to try to help stop this project. We need to keep our plight and the plight of many others in the spotlight so the juggernaut of HS2 doesn’t just run over us small people.”
Mr King, a signwriter aged 41, who used to live in Woodseats, said: “We moved to Killamarsh because it’s a lovely, quiet area. I thought the high speed rail plans meant upgrading existing lines.”
Residents fear for their homes because the line will need a wide ‘footprint’ due to a nine-metre gap between tracks, 20 metres for electrical installations and a 20 metre ‘safety zone’.
Also concerned about HS2 are Chesterfield Canal Trust who are working on a restoration of eight miles of the waterway between Staveley and Kiveton. Five miles of the canal will be criss-crossed by the line.
Rod Auton, spokesman for the trust, said: “We hope they will be able to accommodate the canal - but uncertainty is causing problems such as us having to abandon a bid for £2 million from the lottery.”
Residents of Greasbro Road, Tinsley, which also stands in the way of the line, have already launched a protest.
The High Court has allowed the first stage of HS2 from London to Birmingham to go ahead - but declared consultation into compensation for those affected was ‘unlawful’.
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Weather for Sheffield
Thursday 20 June 2013
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Light rain
Temperature: 11 C to 16 C
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