Spelman calls for review of blight laws

An MP is calling for blight laws to be reviewed to compensate people whose homes or land are affected by major infrastructure decisions taken by the Government.

Former environment secretary Caroline Spelman highlighted the HS2 rail project which, she said, had brought a "new blight" to villages and a council estate in her Midlands constituency.

She said the Land Compensation Act 1973 made provision for compensation to be paid out for the depreciation of property values caused by physical effects such as noise, but this compensation is only available a year after the infrastructure is in place. She called for legislation on noise pollution to be simplified and made swifter to "clear up the fear" surrounding the issue, arguing that large infrastructure schemes could often take a huge amount of time to progress from the initial announcement to completion. She said:

"Having represented a constituency at the heart of the Midlands motorway network for almost 16 years, I've seen the impact of successive efforts to improve the national transport infrastructure, but often with harsh consequences for local residents. "Once again the statutory blight laws would mean compensation will not be paid until one year after HS2 opens in 2026, except on the grounds of hardship which are of course discretionary. This can add yet more uncertainty."

For more information on HS2 claims and compensation please contact our real estate dispute resolution team on 08456 381381 or propertydisputes@ibblaw.co.uk.