After eight years of talking, preparatory work has finally begun on HS2, with potentially eight more years of disruption.
In Coventry’s outskirts including Crackley near Kenilworth, trees are being removed and natural environments cleared.
The diggers came without warning, say residents who also complain of insensitivity to the environment.
And Warwickshire Wildlife Trust accuses HS2 Limited of “developing its own version of what ‘green’ looks like.”
While the HS2 PR machine tells us new wildlife habitats it will create with mean ‘no net loss of biodiversity’, WWF points out 40 hectares of ancient woodland will be destroyed, and much more.
Most of our sub-region’s residents will not obviously benefit directly from HS2. The least the government and HS2 company can do is handle things more sensitively.