Walking around the picturesque village of Meriden life feels unaffected by the major construction project just a short distance up the road. The Local Democracy Reporting Service recently reported Meriden is the area where most complaints about the high speed rail line are currently coming from. We spent a few hours in the area one afternoon and locals said they were shocked to hear of the number of complaints coming from residents of their village about HS2 work.
One we spoke with said: “That surprises me. “Around here it is more about the quarry.” The village is rich in history - being known as the centre of England as early as 1829, and with a sandstone monument to mark that title.
But the village, complete with shops and park, is separated from the HS2 construction work on A452 by what is known as the ‘straight mile’ of Hampton Lane. READ MORE : Five pictures showing the progress of major HS2 construction work across Solihull The work on the road includes the construction of bridges such as the A452 Kenilworth Road overbridge. At the recent meeting of the HS2 Implementation Advisory Group at Solihull Council members heard of the complaints, which took place between April and June this year, made by the public about the work already underway.
The complaints from Meriden residents included noise and vibration from construction at night and traffic and transport signage. People we spoke with said they were baffled as no noise from the HS2 site travelled from the si.