High-speed train tunnel ‘could damage properties’ in celebrity neighbourhoods

Residents of some of the wealthiest neighbourhoods in London expressed concerns today over plans to build a high-speed rail tunnel under their homes.

Transport Secretary Lord Adonis announced plans last month for High Speed Two — a rail link taking trains from London to Birmingham and Scotland at up to 250mph.

Councillors in Primrose Hill — home to chef Jamie Oliver and actor Jude Law — fear that vibrations from trains will cause structural damage to homes and noise disturbance.

Plans show that the line, to be built from 2017, will begin at Euston station, which will be expanded to accommodate new platforms. Three hundred council flats on the Regent's Park Estate would be demolished.

Maps reveal that the tunnel will go underground close to Delancy Street in Camden, and below homes in Primrose Hill, Swiss Cottage and Maida Vale.

Graphic artist Rose Warnick, who lives in Fitzroy Road, Primrose Hill, said: "My main concern is the effect of tunnelling on the structural integrity of the buildings."

At its deepest, the proposed track would run 43.4 metres below ground. The Northern line at Bank is 41.4 metres beneath the street. However, Tube trains travel at an average speed of 20.5mph, whereas the high-speed trains could reach 111mph at Primrose Hill.