Letters: Heathrow links would be next

Jul 21 2011 Buckinghamshire Advertiser

YOU rightly make much of the flawed and overblown case for HS2 promulgated by the Department for Transport (DfT).

The particular concern for a considerable proportion of South Bucks and west Hillingdon is the proposed links to the putative Heathrow North station.

Although the Advertiser has mentioned it in passing, it is obvious that if the main scheme is approved, the next tactic will be a sustained campaign for the Heathrow links, because "now we have a high speed link to the North, our major airport must be linked to it" - a project which will badly degrade all the areas between the main route and the airport.

When I went to the HS2 roadshow in Amersham, I tried to raise my concerns with the staff there - and they had nothing to say on the

At first I thought that this was because they had been told to play down the likely impact of the Heathrow links, but I came gradually to realise that they appeared actually to know nothing about it.

It appears to me that the DfT may see the Heathrow link scheme as so damaging to the prospects of the main scheme that they are keeping quiet about it while they try to get approval for the latter.

Only after they have gained this approval will the DfT bring forward the Heathrow scheme, using the main scheme's approval to justify approval of the Heathrow spurs.

Does this not seem to be peculiarly dishonest?

RICHARD DOWNS Lower Road Higher Denham