‘What they have done is heartbreaking, people here have had their lives ruined.’
Those are the words of Karen Blake, a mum who moved to the village of Burton Green for a quieter life only to find out it would become a building site for years.
The Warwickshire village has been completely split in half by construction work to build a tunnel for HS2.
The tunnel, which is about 70% complete, is supposed to be a ‘green tunnel’ which should blend into the natural landscape once completed.
But in the meantime, village residents say they’re in a living hell.
Karen, a creative director and mum of one, has lived in Burton Green for six years after relocating from Coventry.
She said: ‘We moved from the city for a quieter life and it’s been anything but.
‘We were told it would be two fields over from the village but instead they have built it right at the back of us.
‘Some days the noise from the vibrations can really make you feel quite sick, all the dust covering our homes can’t be good for our health either.
‘Before we had fields for miles, loads of nature, we had deer and bats and now they have torn down thousands of trees in an ancient forest for this monstrosity.
‘What they have done is heartbreaking, people here have had their lives ruined.
‘I’ve been in tears at some points. I work from home and you just can’t concentrate, you may as well be living on the M25.
‘You can only use your gardens on a Sunday – because that’s the only day they have off.
‘I just don’t know how they can justify its existence or it’s cost. I can’t see who it’s even going to benefit.’
When plans were announced for the tunnel the village was billed as potentially being the worst affected by the controversial high speed rail network.
And five years on many living in the village, which dates back to the 1500s and has around 600 residents, say that has come to fruition.
Grandmother-of-one Eileen Thompson, 77, a retired secretary, has also lived in Burton Green for six years.
She said: ‘It has just been absolutely horrendous from the start. The dust, the dirt, the noise – all the diversions and road closures, it has literally split our village in two.
‘There’s been all the destruction of the greenery and lots of wildlife displaced. Some people have moved out of the area.
‘Sometimes if I’m sitting in my house I can feel the whole place vibrating.
‘We had three weeks of them blasting concrete posts out they had erected wrong and the noise and dirt from that was appalling.
‘Before there was a lovely walkway alongside what used be a Victorian railway with fields and wildlife on both side – compared to this mess we have now.
‘It’s heartbreaking the see the destruction around us.
‘They have bought empty properties and knocked them down as people have moved out. HS2 must own more properties than anyone else at the moment.
‘It is just disgraceful how it has been planned and executed and I can’t even see who its really going to be benefit.
‘We’re just going to end up with a shuttle train between Birmingham and London that doesn’t quite go all the way into Birmingham or all the way into London.
‘It is a waste of billions of pounds of our money and I think it will eventually be known one of the biggest scandals in Britain.’
While a number of village residents have already moved away, others are concerned that the value of their home could plummet by up to a fifth.
House prices in Burton Green currently average around £500,000, but it’s feared up to £100,000 could be knocked off the value.
Dad-of-two Phil Fairclough, 55, said: ‘When the plans were announced there was all this talk saying we could be the worst-affected by HS2.
‘And if you look around here now I don’t think you could argue that – we’ve had our little village bisected by a railway line nobody here wants.
‘I’ve had friends move out, it’s divided and torn a community up. It’s an eyesore building site. We think house prices will drop by around £100,000 at least.’
HS2 was originally meant to link up London with Northern cities like Manchester and Leeds as part of a 330-mile flagship high-speed rail network.
But after costs spiralled, then PM Rishi Sunak decided to only push ahead with a line between the capital and Birmingham.
The latest estimate suggests HS2 will cost £66billion for the high speed line between London and Birmingham.
A spokesperson for HS2 Ltd said: ‘We are working hard to reduce disruption during the construction of the Burton Green Tunnel and have provided a new village hall for the community.
‘Excavated soil is being reused for nearby landscaping to avoid putting extra lorries on local roads and help blend the structure into the surrounding countryside.
‘Once complete, the tunnel will shield neighbouring homes from noise and disturbance, with a new public green space for residents to enjoy.
‘The existing Kenilworth greenway cycle and footpath will be reinstated along with new landscaping and tree planting to boost biodiversity and create new wildlife habitats.’
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