Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to remove the safeguarding protections from land or properties covered by HS2 Phases 2A and 2B; whether they will offer any acquired properties or land back for sale to previous owners and, if so, at what price; and what steps they will take to remedy any HS2-related work that has already commenced on any such land or properties.

Phase 2a safeguarding will be formally lifted in weeks and Phase 2b safeguarding will be amended by the summer of next year, to allow for any safeguarding needed for Northern Powerhouse Rail. In the meantime, we will take steps to begin to lift the blighting effect of HS2 in areas where safeguarding is going to be lifted.

Where any land or property has been acquired compulsorily or via statutory blight and is no longer required, it will be sold subject to the Crichel Down Rules. These require government departments, under certain circumstances, to offer back surplus land to the former owner or the former owner’s successors at the current market value. All land and property will be assessed prior to disposal.