Today, 13 November 2019, members of SOWHAT attended the full meeting of Leeds City Council to renew and make new demands with respect to their lack of regard for the residents of Oulton, Woodlesford and Swillington in their obsession with HS2 and the development of the South Bank area in the city. What did we ask for?
- That the Council stops pretending that responding to consultations is enough.
- It should actively look at changing the approach of HS2 into Leeds so that it is aligned with future NPR/HS3 rail.
- To tell us what it believes “mitigation” means in relation to a 30m high 2.2 km long viaduct and 10 years of heavy construction and disruption. We want to know exactly what will satisfy the Council.
- If it is established that what HS2 Ltd are proposing does not meet the Council’s threshold of mitigation, we want to know what commitment the Council will make financially or materially to deal with the shortfall.
- We demand that details of Stourton and Garforth touchpoints are released to the public.
- The Council must provide a clear definition of how it will provide full transparency and represent and protect the interests of our residents, to whom it is accountable.
Read the full speech here: DEPUTATION TO COUNCIL 2019