St James Gardens

• IN your august journal thousands of words have been written about the dreadful effects upon Camden of HS2.

And the recurring question has been: Why HS2? The excellent Beleben blog keeps a critical watch on every twist and turn of the dismal and absurdly expensive project.

And it has, perhaps, nailed the matter with this: “On the evidence available, it is not a transport project, but a London real-estate project,‘needed’ to justify the land-grab (for over-platform development) at Euston.

“The ‘imperative’ of the Camden land-grab would also explain the government’s determination to avoid having Old Oak Common as its HS2 terminus.”

Even though HS2 hasn’t (and perhaps cannot) develop a viable scheme for Euston and its approaches right now – it’s preparing to cut down the beautiful plane trees in St James Gardens and to demolish properties around Drummond Street.

Our struggling government lacks the courage and competence to examine and challenge the questionable assertions of the monster it has created.

The sunk costs fallacy leads it to continuing squandering public money. And one question has to be asked: Where is the politician brave enough to kill HS2?

TIM STOCKTON, NW5