HS2 event in Kenilworth saw people queuing out the door

A recent HS2 community event in Kenilworth was so busy at times that attendees were queuing out the door to get in.
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The event, held at the Kenilworth Centre last week, saw almost 500 people pass through its doors over the course of six hours to speak to experts from the high speed rail project.

And although turnout was high, some criticised the relatively small venue the consultation was held in.

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Chair of Trustees at the Kenilworth Centre John Whitehouse said: “There were times when the queue went out of the door, and they had to have controlled access at points to avoid a crush.

“Clearly there were some people I recognised there, but there were also a lot of people I didn’t recognise. There were a lot of people who were looking at the detail very closely.

“It’s starting to get more and more real now so it was a good opportunity for people to find out about HS2.”

Cllr George Illingworth echoed these thoughts. He said: “There were a lot of people there who I didn’t recognise, which is very good. I was amazed it was so well-attended and delighted that so many people were trying to find out about HS2.”

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Kenilworth resident and historian Robin Leach criticised the event, claiming in a Facebook post it was “very poorly organised” and “only open for six hours in far too small a space.”

Rhona Crawford from HS2 Ltd said the event at Kenilworth was one that the company paid particular attention to.

She added: “We had some really useful conversations with residents. The main areas of concern were traffic, particularly around the A46, property compensation and questions around noise levels during construction.”

“It was really well attended, and we felt that people who came went away having their questions answered and were informed.”

She also said there would be future consultation events taking place, with some focusing on specific issues such as property worries.

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