Farmer facing 'uncertainty' over land sold to HS2

Joy Fielding says she wants to buy back the land she was forced to sell to HS2

A farmer says she continues to face uncertainty over whether she can buy back land she was forced to sell for HS2's northern leg before it was scrapped.

Joy Fielding said land in almost all of her family's fields at Woodend Farm near King's Bromley, Staffordshire, was acquired for the railway's Birmingham to Crewe section in February 2023.

The line was cancelled in October 2023 but Ms Fielding said she was yet to receive answers about whether she could own the land once more.

HS2 Ltd said it was working to settle all outstanding compensation claims "as soon as possible".

Ms Fielding said the land was acquired by HS2 through a compulsory purchase order and the family had received partial compensation.

She told BBC Midlands Today the farm had been in her family for three generations and she wanted to see that continue after she retired.

"We need to be able to be in a position where we can make some decisions," she said. "With all the things still not settled and all the uncertainty, it's almost impossible to do that.

Ms Fielding added: "It's been going on for so long, we need some answers."

Ben Wilkes, of the Border Collie Trust, said he was struggling to get answers from HS2

Ben Wilkes, a trustee at the Border Collie Trust, near Rugeley, Staffordshire, said land they used to exercise dogs was previously earmarked for the railway.

Though the site was not acquired by HS2 before the route's cancellation, Mr Wilkes said there had been indications money would change hands between January and March 2024.

In anticipation of the purchase, Mr Wilkes had already bought replacement land for about £190,000.

He previously said doing so had left the charity with land it did not necessarily need and was seeking compensation from HS2 Ltd but was struggling to get any information.

"There's no closure is there? It almost feels like [HS2] hasn't been cancelled, like it's been postponed," he said.

'Actively engaging'

A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said it endeavoured to treat every property owner "with respect" while recognising its responsibility to "spend taxpayers' money appropriately when agreeing compensation".

"We are actively engaging with agents acting on behalf of both landowners in these cases and will settle outstanding compensation claims as soon as possible," they added.

The Department of Transport said HS2 land and property would be rented at market rates "where possible".

A spokesperson said: "The income helps reduce the burden on taxpayers and provides much-needed rental properties in local areas."