PARLIAMENTARY WRITTEN QUESTION
East West Rail Line: Property (5 September 2023)

To ask the Secretary of State for Transport, whether his Department has made an assessment of the potential merits of allowing the East West Rail project to introduce a streamlined blight scheme which expedites compensation at a specific phase of the project.

Asked by:
Mohammad Yasin (Labour)

The East West Rail Need to Sell Property Scheme was launched in May 2023 to address generalised blight that may arise from the East West Rail project. Applicants to the scheme are asked to provide evidence against five criteria set out in the Scheme Guide and East West Rail Company is committed to resolving cases as quickly as possible. Where an application is successful, East West Rail Company will make an offer to purchase a property for the unblighted market value. Compensation under the scheme is the same as is offered under the HS2 Need to Sell Scheme.

The first application to progress to the East West Rail Need to Sell Panel was accepted in September 2023. Once a Development Consent Order application has been submitted, individuals or businesses with a qualifying interest in property within the relevant area and meeting other statutory requirements, would be able to serve a blight notice on East West Rail Company as the scheme promoter, requesting purchase of their property. The Department for Transport and East West Rail Company will keep property acquisition schemes for the project under review.

Answered by:
Huw Merriman (Conservative)
11 September 2023