Question to the Department for Transport:

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, if he will ensure that public land required by HS2 Ltd only during the construction phase will be returned to the relevant local authority for reprovison for community facilities.

Virtually all the land compulsorily acquired for HS2 will be used permanently for the construction and operation of the new railway. Where land compulsorily acquired becomes surplus to requirements, in accordance with the Crichel Down Rules and subject to key Guiding Principles set out in the High Speed Two Information Paper - C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND, landowners may be offered the opportunity to buy back land, at market value. The future use of land returned to local authorities would therefore be a matter for them to decide.

High Speed Two Information Paper C6: DISPOSAL OF SURPLUS LAND attached.