10:21am Monday 15th March 2010
By Lawrence Dunhill
A TEARFUL resident whose home and workplace could be bulldozed to make way for a 250mph train line was in shock after the route was announced by the Government.
Caroline Owen-Thomas owns and lives at the Weights and Measures Gym on Frith Hill, South Heath, which lies directly on the preferred route.
The 49-year-old said after Thursday's announcement: “This is completely devastating for me, it's unbelievable. I've put my life into this place and it's everything to me."
She said she had not received any prior warning from the Government and found out about the plan from a neighbour.
She added: “I'm just stunned - it seems very weird that we hadn't been told anything and I'm still trying to get my head around it.
“There will be a massive reaction to this.”
The route would mean huge swathes of the Chilterns countryside are dug up so High Speed trains can run non-stop from London to Birmingham.
The south Buckinghamshire section of the route would consist of a tunnel beginning at the M25 near Chalfont St Peter and continuing underground through the northern part of Chalfont St Giles and old Amersham.
It would then go overground and run parallel to the A413 just south of Hyde Heath and then on through the fields between Great Missenden and South Heath.
See links at the bottom of the story for detailed maps of the route.
Transport minister Lord Adonis said the service – which would not stop in Bucks – would be a massive boost to the economy and get people off aeroplanes. Work could start in 2019 for a 2026 opening.
Thousands who live near the route would feel the effects, but there was outrage from other residents whose home or land actually sits on the proposed route.
Malcolm Bristow, 69, lives on King's Lane, near South Heath and the planned route goes through his fields.
He said: “Hopefully I'll be dead and gone if it ever happens – I could always throw myself in front of it I suppose.
“Let's get our priorities in order, the country is bust as it is and this is absolutely crazy. This Adonis bloke is going to get strung up - the route should go along the existing Chiltern railway track.
His wife Liz, 67, said she 'thought it was a wind up'.
Next door neighbour John Perrin, 72, would also be forced to sell fields and said: “I'm just gutted and it will be horrifying if it happens. It would ruin the farm and our land won't be worth anything.”
His wife Dyane, 68, said she was 'disgusted' by the plans and added: “We don't need High Speed rail and we can't even catch it here anyway.”
Another resident, who could be forced to give up her farm but asked not to be named, said: “Nobody's had the decency to tell us anything, which is pretty bad form I think. There will be compensation at the end of the day – but when that will be we don't know.
“I'm not against High Speed rail but in general I think the time that will be saved on this route isn't worth it.”
The Government has confirmed there would be compulsory purchase orders where the route goes through private land.
Detailed maps (pdfs, right click to save):
For the first Chalfonts map click here.
For the second Chalfonts map click here.
For the Amersham map click here.
For the Great Missenden area map click here.
Click here for a map of the proposed route.
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