Letter to Lichfield Mercury – High Speed Rail Link

Last week I attended a packed meeting in Hints village hall where residents from both Hints and Canwell made clear their opposition to the government?s High Speed Rail Link proposal.  Coming on top of a similar meeting the week before in Drayton Bassett attended by 200 people (so many that not everyone could get in), a clear message is being sent to the Department for Transport that local people will not accept this ill-conceived plan.

A huge swathe of beautiful countryside running up from Middleton, through Drayton, Canwell, Hints and Weeford and onto Streethay will be desecrated and local homes will be blighted.  The government must drop this plan which seems specially designed to be the worst possible route.  It is socially and environmentally unacceptable whilst any economic benefit to our community is non-existent.  We must build a united front of parish and district councils and constituencies to lobby the Department of Transport to throw out this plan and organise our opposition at the Planning Inquiry whenever it is convened.  I also urge everybody to sign the Mercury’s “Rethink The Rail Route” petition.

Christopher Pincher

Conservative Parliamentary Candidate, Hints, Weeford & Tamworth