Environmental activists to stage HS2 protest in Piccadilly Gardens
24.01.2022 - 12:55
/ manchestereveningnews.co.uk
Environmental activists are to stage a protest in Piccadilly Gardens on Monday against the expansion of the HS2 high-speed railway.
From noon protest groups Stop HS2 North and HS2 Rebellion will be joined by other groups and individuals at the demonstration to raise awareness of the environmental and financial impact of phase 2 of the railway.
A Stop HS2 North spokesperson said it's part of a nationwide 'day of action', with events held from midday along the line in Manchester, Birmingham, Buckinghamshire and London – with a particular focus on Birmingham and Manchester.
It comes as the Bill for the project is laid out in Parliament.
READ MORE: "If Boris Johnson is still Prime Minister by the end of the week I'd be very surprised" says source ahead of Sue Gray report
The spokesperson added that the Bill, which Transport Secretary Grant Shapps has called a 'landmark moment', will sanction 'immense and irreversible destruction to the environment, during a climate and ecological emergency'.
The spokesperson said: "The financial costs of HS2 are now out of control, having risen from an initial £37 billion in 2009, up to £98 billion last year.
"Lord Berkeley’s review in 2019 suggested it would cost over £110 billion. The former chair of HS2, Terry Morgan, has admitted that 'nobody knows' what HS2's final cost will be. Recent estimates suggest the final figure will be closer to £200 billion.
"Despite spending vast sums of public money on PR and greenwashing to try to promote HS2 as a green project, HS2's own figures show that it will never be carbon neutral during its 120-year lifespan. The UK Government's own strategy commits us to Net Zero by 2050. HS2 actively harms our ability to achieve that.
"People are being faced