Lawyers gear up for families' HS2 battle

Lawyers are gearing up to fight for the rights of Staffordshire residents when they challenge the £33 billion high-speed rail project HS2 later this year, council bosses said today.

District councillor Alan White claimed Lichfield would be blighted with "all the disruption of a new line with none of the benefits".

He was speaking after it was announced a judicial review against the Government's decision to press ahead with high-speed rail is on December 3.

Lichfield district is among 15 councils involved in joint legal action, while four other protest groups are also making challenges. All five cases will be heard together at the High Court of Justice.

Opponents of the scheme hope to persuade judges there has been insufficient consultation, the business case for the rail line is flawed and the plans breach environmental legislation.

Councillor White, for development services, said: "We have been working with 14 other local authorities to fight the decision to create a high speed rail link.

"We believe the business case has not been proven and are deeply concerned our residents will have all the disruption of a new line with none of the benefits.

"We are pleased the date for the court case has been set and look forward to the hearing when councils can represent their residents' rights," he added.

The latest twist comes after fresh plans for a major junction of the HS2 line at Fradley near the city were revealed earlier this month.

Martin Tett, chairman of the council alliance against HS2, added: "The decision is good not just for the people we represent in 15 local authority areas but for hard pressed taxpayers across the entire country."

The judicial review is expected to last seven days.