Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, in how many and what proportion of compulsory purchase cases for HS2 had payment not been received by the former owners (a) two, (b) three (c) four and (d) more than four weeks after HS2 Limited had taken ownership of the property in each of the last 12 months.

When a property is being acquired by compulsory purchase, HS2 Ltd will make payment of compensation subject to section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973.

When an Advance Payment Request (APR) is made, it must be done so in writing and usually will be submitted by the claimants’ Agent. Ninety-seven per cent of valid APRs in the six months to July 2023 were paid on time.

On Phase One, if a party makes a valid APR under section 52 of the Land Compensation Act 1973, payment must be made by either 3 months from the date of request, or, on the vesting date, whichever is the later.

On Phase 2a, if a party makes a valid APR under section 52 and the Secretary of State for Transport executes a General Vesting Declaration, then HS2 Ltd must pay:

- on the date the General Vesting Declaration is executed (or notice of entry is served), or,

- if later than this date, within 2 months of the date of the request (if full details were provided), or

- the date HS2 Ltd received the full details needed to make an assessment of compensation.

If HS2 Ltd can reach an agreement on the request, they will pay the full value of the advance payment request. If they cannot reach an agreement, HS2 Ltd will pay 90% of their estimate of compensation (this may be less than the claimant’s agent’s estimate).

If the owner identifies further reasons for compensation after the first advance payment has been received, they can send further requests.