Welcome to the inaugural edition of CR:HS2 – a publication designed to provide regular commentary updates and insight into HS2 and the issues arising from it.

It is particularly timely to be releasing this publication now given that the Hybrid Bill for Phase One (London to the West Midlands) had its First Reading in the House of Commence on 25 November; at the same time the extensive Environmental Statement was published and the latest consultation on discretionary compensation packages concluded last week.

Over the past 18 months, the HS2 team at Charles Russell has been readying itself for today with a mix of topical articles as well as substantial legal work advising particularly those with property interests near the proposed route as to their options.

Therefore, included with this edition of CR:HS2 News are the following articles:

In light of the recent HS2 developments, time is now running out for affected parties to have a meaningful say in the development of HS2 policy.

It is currently unlikely that the Government will consult again on the Compensation options that it will offer and, by releasing the Hybrid/HS2 Bill, the Parliamentary clock is well and truly ticking.  The Supreme Court may alter this timetable but, for the time being at least, HS2 is proceeding at full steam.

Any affected or potentially affected party that has something to say about HS2 now has a very limited time frame within which to do so and should now be seriously considering:

1. Reviewing the Environmental Statement in detail and making any representations on its contents by no later than 24 January 2014;

2. Making representations to HS2 Ltd and the Department for Transport as to objections to HS2 now in advance of the Second Reading of the Hybrid Bill (which is likely to take place in early Spring 2014);

3. Following the Second Reading of the Hybrid Bill the opportunity will arise to petition the Select Committee against HS2 (based on the Crossrail timetable, the deadline for doing so is unlikely to be more than two months from the date of the Second Reading); and

4. Lobbying their local Members of Parliament during the passage of the Bill through Parliament.

There is also the question of compensation claims.  Some limited compensation packages are currently effective (HS2 Ltd indicate payments in the region of £58million have been made to date) and more are to follow over the coming months.

The Charles Russell HS2 team (being experts on compulsory purchase and transport infrastructure cases and having been appointed as Parliamentary Agents for the Crossrail petitioning process) can offer experienced legal and commercial advice to help at each stage of the process and would be delighted to discuss with you your own needs to plan the best route to holding the project to account, altering HS2 policy and protecting your interests.

The content of this article is intended to provide a general guide to the subject matter. Specialist advice should be sought about your specific circumstances.