HS2 Protestors Brace Themselves in Order to Protect Harefield Woodland

A protestors camp in Harefield prepares itself to fight through another wave of evictions as HS2 enforcers attempt to get work back on track.

Enforcement officers began evicting protesters two weeks ago from the HS2 protection camp which has been on Harvil Road since 2018.

High Speed 2, a rail link planned to connect London Euston to Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds, has been met with controversy since the project’s inception in 2015.

The whole scheme was initially forecasted to cost roughly £40 billion, however recent reports have suggested that the final cost of the high-speed rail project will cost closer to £106 billion.

HS2 Ltd intended to conduct ‘vegetation clearance’ between January 17 and January 20 in Harefield, yet despite earlier evictions of the camp, hundreds of campaigners turned out in protest.

The protestors managed to prevent H2S Ltd from cutting down trees and vegetation from the area by sneaking people and supplies into the camp.

HS2 Ltd are expected launch another attempt to fully evict the Harefield camp in the coming weeks, while protestors and various campaign groups gather in anticipation.

Alex, a Harefield camp protestor, said in a video on social media: “Bailiffs have turned up… we’re expecting an eviction, which means they want to get all of us out of here… they want to start felling this ancient woodland.”

The government has backed plans for the national high-speed rail network, following months of uncertainty regarding the project.

Myrddin Edwards, Senior Communications Manager at HS2 Ltd, said: “This is land [Harvil Road] that is legally possessed by HS2.

“Protests such as this are costly to the taxpayer and are a threat to the security and safety of the public and our workers.”

The Stop HS2 Organisation was unable to provide a comment on the matter.