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Council demands HS2 to fund rehousing of hundreds of tenants
A London council has demanded that the company building High Speed 2 (HS2) funds the rehousing of hundreds of its tenants, whose homes it claims will be made “virtually uninhabitable” by rail works.
Camden Council has threatened to report HS2 Limited to parliament over breaching assurances on noise levels made while legislation setting the framework for the project was being passed if it does not agree to a compensation deal and has notified the Department for Transport.
The local authority warned it “will be forced to take matters into its own hands” if a solution for residents in its Cartmel, Coniston and Langdale blocks on the Regent’s Park Estate and on Cobourg Street and Starcross Street is not found.
HS2 works are set to take place “on the doorsteps” of the tenants in question and are likely to surpass noise thresholds previously agreed with MPs by HS2 Limited, the council claimed.
It said the firm has not yet finished installing noise mitigation measures promised in 2015.
COVID-19 has exacerbated the issue, it added, as residents are having to spend more time at home during construction hours.
The next phase of the gargantuan infrastructure project involves piling and excavation around Regent’s Park Estate.
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Camden Council has vowed to rehouse tenants even if HS2 Limited does not provide funding by offering them 630 additional housing points to allow them to bid for a different council home, while continuing to pursue compensation for its costs.
This approach would prioritise those worst affected and the most vulnerable, it argued, as it does not have the resources to move all residents or to buy back leaseholders’ flats.
Danny Beales, cabinet member for investing in communities, culture and an inclusive economy at Camden Council, said: “When combined with the disruption residents are already facing, the likely breaches to noise thresholds that new piling and excavation work will cause will leave residents’ homes virtually uninhabitable.
“We have heard from so many residents that they feel they cannot live in these conditions any longer.
“We have reached the stage where we have to take matters into our own hands and act to protect as many residents as we can from further disruption.”
He added that the council “will do all we can within our limited funds, but we can’t meet all our residents needs without funding”.
Camden Council is insisting that any potential deal with HS2 does not result in the loss of council homes in the Euston area and wants to redevelop the site for new housing.
This week the local authority is writing to affected residents, setting out details of its rehousing plans.
In the letter it warns that “there is likely to be more demand than we have homes”.
HS2 previously provided funding to build 90 replacement homes for Camden Council tenants in the Ainsdale, Eskdale and Silverdale blocks which were demolished to make way for the rail line.
A spokesperson for HS2 Limited said: “HS2 and the Department for Transport have been working closely with Camden Council, and will continue to work together to try and find solutions that address the issues faced by residents affected by the construction works at Euston.
“We have a number of measures in place to minimise disruption for residents near our construction sites, including fitting noise insulation in homes.
“We have an undertaking and assurance for this to be completed before noisy works can begin, which is triggered by works meeting a noise threshold. To date, 54% of residents have taken up these measures.”
They added that any funding would need to be agreed between the council, HS2 Limited and the Department for Transport.
The Department for Transport has been approached for comment.
