‘Madness’: HS2 spent £37m buying homes – long after high-speed rail routes were axed
How HS2 spent £37m of taxpayers’ money on homes even after routes were axed
- HS2 has spent £37 million of taxpayers' money on properties for sections of the high-speed rail line that have since been cancelled.
- This includes £25.5 million on 25 sites for the scrapped Phase 2 route (West Midlands to Manchester) and £11.7 million on 30 properties for the cancelled eastern leg (Birmingham to Leeds).
- Critics, including former Tory minister Sir Gavin Williamson and campaigner Joe Rukin, have condemned the continued spending as “insane”, “a waste”, and “a scandal”.
- HS2 and the Department for Transport maintain they are honouring legal obligations and property purchases initiated before the line cancellations, stating these transactions take time to complete.
- While 500 properties from the eastern leg are set to be sold back to the market, no decision has been made for the northern section, with some suggesting the land might still be needed for future rail projects.