Fury about rail plans hits fever pitch

Apr 1 2010 By Hannah Williams, Buckinghamshire Examiner

PUBLIC anger about controversial high-speed rail link plans cutting through the Chilterns boiled over at a packed public meeting.

Doors were closed an hour before the 'information' event was due to begin in the hall at Misbourne School on Monday evening.

But more than 100 people were left outside in the rain after being refused entry on 'health and safety' grounds (the maximum capacity of the hall is 200). Shouts could be heard inside and police were called to the school in Misbourne Drive, Great Missenden, after tempers flared.

A police spokesman said: "Police were called to prevent a breach of the peace at Misbourne School, Misbourne Drive,

Great Missenden at 7.45pm where a public meeting was taking place.

"Officers attended where they monitored the situation and people dispersed from the area. No allegations of offences were made and no one was arrested."

Some people stood outside to listen to the two-hour meeting through the open windows, desperate to find out how to oppose the government's plans for HS2. Among them were home-owners whose properties stand in the path of the preferred route, announced by Lord Adonis last month.

Sarah McIntyre, who lives in Frith Hill, South Heath, said: "You can't get into the public meeting. If you buy a house in an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty you would think you are not going to have a big train line going through it. We have no idea how much compensation we will get, or whether we will get any at all."

Another person locked out was Emma Burgham, from Hyde Heath.

"We need some information and they probably could have held this somewhere like County Hall in Aylesbury or a place with bigger capacity," she said.

"We need to know that somebody is looking after the people of Buckinghamshire, even if it is just to spread information."

The meeting had been called by Buckinghamshire County Councillor Mike Colston, who paid for the hall hire. He said he had done so for people living in his division and it was 'unfortunate' for those who could not get in, but he had to limit numbers because of the school's fire regulations.

He told those inside: "We organised the meeting to inform you about the detail of what is proposed by the government and to listen to your views and to ask the question: what next?"