‘No garden for two years’ as Huddersfield residents demand £10,000 compensation in garden access row

Angry residents are embroiled in a row with Network Rail over access to their gardens during preparation work for a huge rail improvement scheme.

Fourteen residents of Glenfield Avenue in Deighton, Huddersfield, have signed a petition asking Network Rail workers to stay out of their gardens unless £10,000 compensation can be awarded.

Network Rail, which owns and manages the rail infrastructure, needs access to trackside gardens to reduce vegetation ahead of a major scheme to upgrade Deighton station. The gardens are due to be cut and restored once the rail upgrade work has been completed, according to the householders.

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Resident Terry Binns says residents are not happy because the engineering work will take around two years and will mean people will not be able to enjoy their gardens. He and others believe they will not be fairly and fairly compensated.

Terry, a keen gardener, says he will temporarily lose about a quarter of his garden which he has spent around 40 years tending and improving. He says one resident was offered £3,000 in compensation which Terry described as “ridiculous”. He says it works out to about 4 pounds a day.

Terry, a retired Yorkshire Water technician, said: “No one has come to us to talk about compensation and there are rumors of an offer of £3,000. No one came up to me and said what it was about. We are not. I’m talking about two months of work – we won’t have a garden for over two years. They say two years, but it could be three because I think I’m already behind.

Terry supports the aims of the railway improvement scheme, but says his family’s life will be severely affected if they cannot enjoy their garden because of the noise and dust during the excavation process.

“A big thing for us is socializing in the garden with our eight grandchildren. They play and like to watch the trains go by.” Terry says residents are frustrated by what they see as a lack of communication from Network Rail.

The petition calls for Network Rail to accept compensation of £10,000 for each landlord and tenant and says: “All landlords and tenants agree that they will not have access to any of the gardens unless the sum of £10,000 is paid to each landlord. and tenant of Glenfield Avenue for the term of two years.”

Network Rail has reminded residents that it needs access to the gardens to fell the trees and if access is denied it may take enforcement action. An incident on April 30 saw a tree-trimming contractor working for Network Rail ‘back off’ a property in Glenfield Avenue.

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In a letter to residents on May 10, Network Rail said it understood the contractor had been refused access “based on the sums requested by the residents of Glenfield Avenue. the contractors have the legal right to carry out these works”.

Network Rail is warning residents they could lose money if they stop workers from entering their gardens. The letter added: “If access is again prevented then Network Rail would be forced to exercise its powers under the order to obtain access through enforcement, the cost of which would be deducted from any compensation claim you may have “.

The letter added: “These works are a vital part of the Transpennine Route Upgrade Project and must be allowed to continue without further disruption. As you will know, under the order, affected parties are entitled to damages if they have a legal interest in the land to compensate the parties for their losses.

“However, this must be proved and proven as well as equivalent to the loss suffered. We are keen to discuss this with you to arrive at a mutually acceptable and proven compensation figure.”

Transpennine Route Upgrade sponsor Gareth Hope said in a statement Yorkshire Live“Deighton station is one of many stations along the Transpennine route to be upgraded over the coming years, including the construction of a new fully accessible footbridge with lifts, a disembarkation area, longer platforms and two additional tracks, allowing trains to fast to overtake the slow ones.

“To facilitate these improvements, engineers need to strengthen the embankment on both sides of the railway, which means we need to access third-party land in some areas. Approvals for this have been agreed through Huddersfield to Westtown (Dewsbury) Transport. and the Works Law Order that was submitted and approved, prior to the commencement of work.

“Communities are at the heart of our updates and have played an important role in developing our sustainability strategy. To date, the project has employed over 270 apprentices, delivered over 11,000 volunteer hours and engaged with over 42,000 local young people along the way”.

“We are currently working closely with local groups and residents to ensure that any impact of these key upgrades is kept to a minimum.”