A number of residents have contacted me with regards to the proposals put forward by HS2 to realign Diddington Lane along the proposed HS2 route.
I agree with local residents that the proposal included within the Additional Provisions will have serious consequences for local residents. There is a real risk that this proposal would turn Diddington Lane into a ‘rat run,’ with hundreds of additional cars using the adjacent village roads as short cuts to the station.
I have worked with local residents to organise a petition on behalf of local residents, which I presented on the floor of the House of Commons, requesting that the decision be reversed. Specifically, the petition asked that Diddington Lane is allocated as a ‘Green Route’ - available only to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, agricultural vehicles, the emergency services and HS2 maintenance vehicles.
Already, this petition has attracted the signatures of over 700 local residents. I will continue to work hard to support residents in Meriden constituency who are affected by HS2.
The petition reads as below:
Realignment of Diddington Lane in Hampton-in-Arden
The petition of residents of the United Kingdom,
Declares that the proposals to realign Diddington Lane, published as part of the Additional Provisions of the HS2 London to West Midlands Bill, is inconsistent with the character of the existing lane; further that the proposal to realign the lane will severely affect the village and village life by the addition of hundreds of cars every day using the village roads as short cuts to the station; further that we need a better solution than that proposed by HS2; and further that a local petition on this matter was signed by 746 individuals.
The petitioners therefore request that the House of Commons urges the Government to reverse the decision to allow Diddington Lane to remain open to all traffic, and allow a ‘Green Route’ that would only be available to pedestrians, cyclists, equestrians, agricultural vehicles, HS2 maintenance vehicles and emergency vehicles.