High speed rail debate - and protest - on Tuesday

Anti high-speed rail protesters will gather outside Shire Hall on Tuesday as county councillors prepare to debate whether to oppose the line.

The £17 billion project, supported by the last government and the coalition, would bring Birmingham to within 50 minutes of London, with a possible ‘Y’ extension to Manchester and Leeds.

But residents living near the proposed route, which passes close to Ladbroke, Southam, Offchurch, Cubbington, Stoneleigh, Kenilworth and Burton Green, say the business case is flawed and the line would bring no benefits to the area.

A report by strategic director for environment and economy Paul Galland says information for a “meaningful” public consultation is incomplete and provides no environmental or economic evidence that it would benefit the county.

It recommends working with government consultants to reduce the impact of any line on the countryside, and suggests further reports to consider the detailed impact of the proposals and any ‘significant’ benefit to the county.

Labour shadow transport minister Maira Eagle MP visited Burton Green on Wednesday, and on Monday Coventry City Council joined Buckinghamshire and Staffordshire county councils in opposing the route.

Last week, Warwick District Council voted unanimously to ask the county council for support in doing the same.

Cllr Michael Coker (Con, Kenilworth Abbey) compared it to building 9,000 homes on the greenbelt.

The protest is set to start at 8.30am Tuesday.

The county council meeting will begin at 10am.

Public consultation is due to start in February 2011.