_Overhaul of how land and property is purchased for HS2

Amongst the report’s highlights, it includes concerns about:

• Courteous, respectful and clear communications, “HS2 Ltd’s external communications do not always find the     right tone or communicate clearly enough.”
• More flexible compensation policies. Some stakeholders voiced frustration and concern about the time taken     to agree property valuations and disturbance compensation.
• Difficulty in obtaining certainty on land that would be required for HS2 as the design of the route in many         places was not yet fixed.
• Long delays and management of cases experienced by some property owners.

Commenting on today’s announcement Tim Broomhead of Knight Frank said: “This is good news for our clients and we welcome the Minister’s review. The failure of HS2 Ltd’s leadership team to recognise the issues has been a longstanding problem. I very much hope that these recommendations are put into practice straight away to ease the stress and difficulties being faced by our clients on a daily basis.”

Jonathan Scott-Smith added: “As one of the nine property practitioners who contributed to this review, I had been eagerly awaiting its publication. For me, the key outcome is a commitment by HS2 Minister Andrew Stevenson to “put people and businesses impacted by HS2 at the forefront of what we do”. I hope that actually happens, as I have heard similar promises before.

“Does the report go far enough? I would have liked to see a greater commitment to engagement with affected landowners and occupiers, something that is particularly lacking at present, and much more transparency. The answer may ultimately depend upon how committed HS2 Ltd is to implementing the Minister’s action points and his overall commitments. I don’t expect to see any immediate changes, as these will require some structural and technical changes, and something of a change in attitude. The Department for Transport must hold them to account.”

“We are committed to working with HS2 Ltd and its agents, for the benefit of our clients, many of whom are facing life changing situations. We need to consider this review in a positive light, and as a potential new start. Let’s hope it is.”

The full review is available here. If your land, property or business is directly affected by HS2, Knight Frank has a specialist department who will be happy to help. Please get in touch with; Tim.Bromhead@knightfrank.com or Jonathan.Scott-Smith@knightfrank.com