Emotional derailment: Rural villages fear they will be blighted by high-speed train scheme (From Knutsford Guardian)

Rural villagers fear HS2 route through George Osborne's Tatton will blight their lives

8:40am Wednesday 30th January 2013 in News By James Wilson

‘SHOCK and dismay’.

Those are the emotions felt by residents in High Legh, Tabley, Little Bollington, Mere, Rostherne and Millington after the Government approved plans for the £33 billion HS2 rail link on Monday.

Phase two of the scheme will see the line from Birmingham head through Crewe before passing Lostock Gralam and cutting through a large part of George Osborne’s, pictured, Tatton constituency before following the M56 through Rostherne and onto a stop at Manchester Airport.

The line through Tatton will follow the route of the proposed A556 bypass as it passes through leaving affected residents – already reeling as a result of the plans for the new road – outraged by the news.

Clr Steve Wilkinson, ward member for High Legh at Cheshire East Council, said he was ‘totally devastated’ at the decision and revealed the line would ‘annihilate’ businesses in the area.
“Residents are in shock and dismay just can’t believe it is cutting through this part of the world,” he said.

“I’m opposed to the scheme and always have been as I don’t believe the economic benefits outweight the environmental impact it will cause. I had a warning on Friday that it was going to run through my ward but I didn’t think it would cause the havoc that it will create.

“I don’t think a lot of people realise or have woken up to it.”

He added: “I’m awaiting a call from George Osborne.

“It doesn’t make my life any easier and we are both the same political persuasion but it doesn’t make it easier for him either. I’ve got a lot of questions for George Osborne and the main one is ‘why?’

“I don’t believe this will do him any favours at the next election but that is the political risk that he has taken.

“It affects so many people and so many of them will be Conservative voters.”