A Vale MP believes the government should be prepared to buy more homes in Wendover and Aylesbury because of HS2 and make the rules clearer.
HS2 Ltd is proposing a ‘voluntary purchase zone’ – where officials can chose whether to buy homes further than 60 metres from the high speed line.
Vale MP David Lidington is calling for that zone to be extended, for example along Oxford Road in Aylesbury and include second home owners in the scheme.
In his response to the HS2 compensation consultation, the MP also called for the ‘hardship criteria’ to be removed – allowing families to relocate because they ‘simply want to’, rather than having to prove they need to.
The Europe minister has also criticised a decision to reject the HS2 Action Alliance’s Property Bond proposal – which would see all homeowners compensated, regardless of how close they live to the line, if they could show that HS2 had lowered their property value.
Last week a 97-year-old Bucks pensioner, in Turweston, was told her house had no financial value because of HS2 which caused a planned sale to fall through.
> To read Mr Lidington’s response {http://davidlidington.wordpress.com/2013/02/01/my-consultation-response|Click here|click here for more}