Planning major schemes like HS2 can take many years. Until a final decision is taken there will be uncertainty for all property owners and occupiers along the route. As and when the decision to proceed has been taken, only then will statutory blight provisions apply.
Until a decision has been taken on the scheme the Blight provisions will not apply. As a consequence of this, the Government has introduced the Exceptional Hardship Scheme. The EHS is available to eligible property owners (and some occupiers) who can demonstrate that they have an urgent need to sell but have been unable to do so other than at a substantially reduced price as a direct result of the announcement of Route 3. There are prescribed criteria to be eligible to claim under the scheme. The compulsory purchase and compensation team at Kirkby & Diamond can advise fully on the eligibility to claim.
If the decision is taken to proceed with the scheme, in due course the relevant compulsory purchase orders will be confirmed and, in time, notices served on affected land and property owners. This will be to acquire the necessary land and other property interests. The compulsory purchase and compensation team at Kirkby & Diamond have considerable experience in dealing with such claims and can draw on considerable local knowledge in relation to commercial, agricultural and residential property.
There will also be other properties along the route whose value could be affected by the use of the rail link once completed – injurious affection. Owners of such properties may also be entitled to claim – subject to fulfilling the relevant criteria for such a claim. Our surveyors can advise on this.
To discuss compensation, Exceptional Hardship Scheme (EHS), or Blight, contact the surveyors at Kirkby & Diamond on 01908 678800. The following links provide more information on general CPO matters: