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HS2: National Trust fears controversial rail link being 'rushed'

The National Trust today raised concerns that the design of the controversial HS2 rail line that will cut through miles of Staffordshire countryside is being 'rushed'.

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The heritage organisation has also spoken of its fears that Shugborough Hall could 'suffer' as a result and has pledged to do all it can to limit the impact.

Ben Middlemiss, senior project manager at the National Trust, said work was under way to draw up 'protective options' for the Staffordshire stretch. It has already proposed measures such as trees to screen the railway on other parts of the route.

The section of the line from Birmingham to Crewe is expected to open six years ahead of schedule in 2027.

It is expected to pass within a kilometre of the 900-acre Shugborough estate, which lies within the Cannock Chase Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and is considered important because it still has all its major buildings including the mansion house and a model farm.

Speaking in the latest National Trust members magazine, Mr Middlemiss said: "We are now looking ahead to Phase2A of the route between Birmingham and Crewe. We're concerned that the design stage of this phase is being rushed and that at places such as Shugborough Estate, Staffordshire, communities and wildlife could suffer as a result."

"We are consulting with a team of experts to understand what the impact of HS2 will be and draw up protective options," he added.

The National Trust has neither supported nor objected to the high-speed rail line but has said it is committed to making sure historic sites and landscapes are considered as part of the development process and has been negotiating with the Government and with HS2 Limited.

Mr Middlemiss said: "HS2 will significantly affect the landscapes and wildlife along its route as it passes through farmland, countryside and near homes and villages. It's virtually important that this once-in-a-lifetime project is built with great sensitivity to the landscape it will pass through."

HS2 Ltd spokesman, Clive Green said: "Designs for HS2 are not being rushed. They are being developed according to the published timescale. In the Autumn we will begin public consultation on the latest design and supporting environmental information for the line between the West Midlands and Crewe. HS2 Ltd takes its responsibility to communities and the environment through which the line will pass extremely seriously."

Transport minister Patrick McLoughlin, who was born in Stafford, has insisted that HS2 will benefit people in Staffordshire and is not being rushed.

During a visit to the region earlier this year, he said the second phase of the project would follow the same development process as the first phase from London to Birmingham despite the £55.7 billion scheme being brought forward.

Shugborough is one of 13 National Trust sites across the country which the charity is monitoring what impact HS2 could have in the future.

The Birmingham to Crewe stretch is expected to run through Staffordshire countryside from Fradley to Swynnerton, passing Kings Bromley, Blithbury, Colton, Stockwell Heath, Great Haywood, Ingestre, Hopton, Marston and Yarlet.

It will cross the river Trent at Pipe Ridware, the Trent and Mersey Canal at Great Haywood, and the M6 near Swynnerton. The Government has not made a decision on the exact route which is likely be announced in the autumn.

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