Question to the Department for Transport:
To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, what area of land has been acquired to date by HS2 Ltd for purposes connected to Phase 1 of High Speed Two; and what estimate has been made of the area of land that remains required to be acquired by HS2 Ltd for the same purpose.
The High Speed Rail (London – West Midlands) Act 2017 identifies an area of 66.5 square kilometres plus 2.2 square kilometres of subsoil which may be acquired or possessed for the purposes of building the railway from London to Birmingham. As at the end of January 2021, 26.45 square kilometres have been acquired under permanent acquisition powers, and 26.76 square kilometres are currently being occupied under temporary possession powers. Reviewing and forecasting land requirements is an on-going process whilst design and construction planning continues.