Terminal 5 took a long and tortuous route through the planning process (was it 9yrs?) , far too long. But what came out of that process is something BA are clearly happy with, Heathrow are happy with, I gather all retail outlets therein are happy and most passengers are happy using it. Presumably this shows the planning process worked. Presumably what didn’t work were the original plans. Thus there was no need for hybrid bill legislation. The hybrid bill is the start of everything wrong with HS2.
The railroading of democracy, the catastrophic ignorance of local planning issues, environmental issues and social issues is totally unacceptable in this day and age. The absolutely unrealistic economic case put forward is like something out of a third rate sci fi novel. And for God’s sake, there are 20 or more north south routes leading out of London, all pulling money resources and people into the crowded hothouse that is London, how could anybody but an idiot assume that adding another route is going to help?
With current costings the price we pay for HS2 Euston to Birmingham could be spent on building a brand spanking new, all singing all dancing Queen Elizabeth type hospital in each and every one of our 69 UK cities, providing far more construction jobs, far far more long term jobs and providing a resource that we all so desperately need and could be justifiably proud of.
STOP THE STUPIDITY, STOP HS2!
M ark Keir, Uxbridge