HS2 'Concrete Monster' Causes Nighttime House Shaking as Council Demands Respect
The Reform administration at Warwickshire County Council has issued a forceful demand for monumental benefits from HS2 to compensate communities enduring severe daily disruption. Residents in Water Orton and Coleshill are reportedly suffering from houses that shake at night, preventing sleep, alongside constant noise, dust, and unpleasant odors.
Residents Endure 'Construction Fatigue' and Extreme Disruption
Council officials state that local communities have shown more patience than any community should ever be asked to, with the situation described as causing widespread construction fatigue. One Water Orton resident previously told BirminghamLive that construction noise was louder than the bombs in Ukraine, highlighting the severity of the disturbance.
Key complaints from residents include:
- Houses shaking at night, disrupting sleep
- Constant roar of heavy goods vehicles (HGVs)
- Persistent dust and a fishy smell linked to construction materials
- Vibration from heavy machinery operating near homes
Council Calls for 'Reset of Respect' and Landscape Recovery
Following a meeting with HS2 chief executive Mark Wild, Councillor Jennifer Warren, Portfolio Holder for Transport and Planning, demanded immediate action. She described the HS2 project as a concrete monster growing out of the ground that has consumed ancient woodlands and disrupted local heritage.
Stop treating Warwickshire like a construction site and start treating it like a home, Warren declared. Stop hiding behind allowable noise limits when the reality families report in Water Orton is a house that shakes at night, preventing sleep.
The council's specific demands include:
- Accelerated planting of mature trees to hide the construction site, rather than small saplings
- Transformation of the land beneath into high-quality landscape instead of leaving it as gravel and fences
- Creation of a Warwickshire Charter providing a legacy of mitigation
- Infrastructure improvements to restore and recover local roads
HS2 Response and Ongoing Mitigation Efforts
HS2 Ltd has acknowledged resident concerns and stated that work is underway to address issues. A spokesperson previously explained that noise and dust monitoring is in place, with free car and window washing offered to those living closest to construction sites.
The company also noted that special access routes have been built to carry construction traffic directly from motorways to work sites, avoiding local roads where possible. Regarding the reported odor, HS2 identified it as coming from lime used to stabilize material excavated from the Bromford tunnels, confirming it is not hazardous.
Excavation of the Bromford tunnels was completed last month (November), the spokesperson said, and we're now taking steps that will help to reduce or eliminate the smell from the material stockpiles.
Despite these measures, Councillor Warren emphasized that communities deserve landscape and visual recovery as works continue. If you are going to scar our landscape forever, the mitigation and community benefits must be equally monumental, she stated, vowing to ensure the concrete behemoth of HS2 does not crush community spirit.
