New clause 6 relates to the Chiltern review group. The Chiltern area of outstanding natural beauty, which has been a designated landscape for more than 50 years, is the only AONB affected by phase 1 of HS2. As it stands, 8.8 km of the AONB is still exposed to the line and remains untunnelled and above ground. It will be a permanent scar on the landscape, and the effects will be irreversible. A Chilterns AONB review group would provide local authorities and key stakeholders with the opportunity to identify greater measures of mitigation and work collaboratively with the promoter to ensure that this precious area was protected to the highest possible level during the construction and operation of the railway.
When the project was first announced, I was assured that local people would have a chance to input their views and expertise into the plans for HS2, but, so far, those opportunities have been limited. This group of amendments would make sure that local people and councils had genuine influence over the future of their area, which will, I believe, be irretrievably damaged by HS2.
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New clause 7 concerns trees. When I petitioned the HS2 hybrid Bill Select Committee, one of my requests was to ensure that HS2 fulfilled the Government’s promise to plant and maintain 2 million trees. The trees that were planted following HS1 were not properly maintained, and, as a result, many of them died. I asked for an undertaking from HS2 to that effect, but that has not been forthcoming.