There was standing room only at a parish council meeting when anxious residents sought news over whether their hamlet was going to be destroyed by proposals to re-route a major A road.
HS2 officials recently confirmed their intention to build a maintenance loop at Nash Lee Farm, Terrick, and as a result the county council is looking at a possible realignment of the A4010 through Terrick, which falls within Ellesborough parish.
Ellesborough parish councillor Don Hayes said: “There was a lot of distress at the meeting. It is not normally attended by the public, but we ran out of chairs. There is a considerable amount of feeling about this.
“Nine months ago the maintenance loop wasn’t even mentioned and suddenly it appears.
“The road is the main worry, but the maintenance loop comes into it. I think it would devastate Terrick. One of our members will be speaking to the county council to establish what is speculation and what is fact.”
Marcus Rogers, a senior manager in the county council’s place service, confirmed that the road proposal, which was put forward by Stoke Mandeville parish council, had been viewed and reviewed by the county council, and he apologised for not seeking the opinion of Ellesborough parish council sooner.
He told the Herald: “I acknowledge here and now that there was an oversight in failing to acknowledge that part of the proposals fall within the Ellesborough parish council area.” And he confirmed he would be making contact with the parish immediately.
He explained: “Stoke Mandeville Parish Council understandably feel they are being clobbered by HS2 with three bridges and construction depots. They want to seek to mitigate that.”
Mr Rogers said that while the county council remains firmly opposed to HS2 a blueprint for mitigation for Buckinghamshire is being prepared on the basis that should it proceed there were certain things the council would want to secure for Buckinghamshire residents. He said a consensus of views would be sought to help with the preparation of the document, but it was inevitable there would be winners and losers.
