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High speed rail minister Simon Burns said: "We have listened to the judge’s comments about the property compensation consultation and to save time and public money we will reconsult on this aspect - but this will not delay HS2. We remain fully committed to fairly compensating the public who are impacted by the scheme".

The CLA reports that the High Court's decision on the HS2 Compensation consultation gives the Government a golden opportunity to completely rethink the way it compensates those affected along the proposed route.


CLA Vice-President Ross Murray said the current compensation regime fails to balance the need for new infrastructure with the rights of the private landowner.


He said: "The inherent unfairness in the current system inevitably leads to conflict and delays increasing the costs for acquirers and those affected. We therefore urge the Government to consider again the recommendations set out in our report 'Fair Play: CLA vision for reform of the compulsory purchase system'  


"Our reform proposals set out an approach which would deliver a better balance between the interests of the parties, reduce conflict and lead to better projects that take into account the impacts on those affected, and mitigate them better."

 
Mr Murray added: "We believe a reformed compulsory purchase system must include the following key elements: a duty of care with an enforceable code of practice, fairer compensation provisions with greater emphasis on mitigation works, a property purchase guarantee scheme to deal effectively with blight, and the duty to take only the minimum amount of land permanently required and return any land that becomes surplus at any time."