Controversial scheme will see a high speed train route built linking Euston Station with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds

The first of a series of public events to allow residents to air their views on the government’s high speed rail project will be held tomorrow.

Residents will have the chance to have their say on the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) which will see a high speed train route built linking Euston Station with Birmingham, Manchester and Leeds.

The plans have attracted interest in the borough with the 225mph trains expected to travel out of Euston through Queen’s Park and Kilburn before making their way to Old Oak Common on the border of Brent and Ealing on the route out of the capital.

To tie in with the release of the projects draft Environmental Statement (ES) residents are being encouraged to have their say.

The first event tomorrow will focus on the Primrose Hill to Kilburn link.

The plans have drawn criticism from some campaigners who expressed pollution fears and claim the tunnelling could cause damage to properties in the Kilburn and Queen’s Park areas.

Earlier this months the Times also revealed that a ventilation shaft, originally planned outside Queen’s Park Station, could be sited in Canterbury Road, Kilburn, close to Mary’s Roman Catholic Primary School.

The consultation on the draft ES seeks views on an initial assessment of the effects of the new line and the plans that are being put in place to minimise them during the building and operation.

Local communities are invited to attend where they can look at maps of the areas affected, read the consultation materials and discuss the proposals in more detail with the HS2 Ltd team.

HS2 Ltd chief executive Alison Munro said: “HS2 is one of the most significant infrastructure projects undertaken in Britain in many years. It is an engine for growth that will bring a significant economic dividend in the decades ahead.

“But we recognise that a project of this scale can’t be delivered without having an environmental effect and causing disruption to people living along the network. The consultation we are launching today sets out our current understanding of what effects the new line will have and what we propose to do to minimise them.

“I encourage the public to visit our information events and contribute to the consultation because it is important that we hear their views.”

The meeting will take place at Swiss Cottage Community Centre, 19 Winchester Road, Swiss Cottage, from 12pm – 8pm.

A second event take place at Old Oak Community Children’s Centre in Braybrook Road, off Old Oak Common Lane, Acton, on June 15 to discus the route through Brent.