• THANK you to the CNJ and Dr Susanne Griffin (Look at who will benefit at Euston, February 18) for pointing out the obvious.

That is not meant sarcastically, but we are so exhausted in Somers Town from the relentless juggernaut of development imposed on us, we don’t even comment.

So, yes, it’s obvious that the HS2 bandwagon (sic) is driven by profit; that its spawning a glass retail monstrosity will offer nothing to local communities; that decisions are secretive and are driven by profit; that Tories bankrolled to the tune of millions for luxury development with no social housing are not likely to prevent this; that there’s no real case for rampant development when remote working will continue, even post lockdown, to be the norm; that the infrastructure will be soon be out of date; that a programme of “100,000 new social rent homes a year would cost less than 15 per cent of the planned cost of HS2” (The Return of Squalor: an Anthology from the First Ten Years of Red Brick Blog – “the place for progressive housing debate”).

And yes, Dr Griffin, it’s obvious it won’t be Somers Town “who will be reaping the benefits”? I think we know who will.

This is a wholesale takeover of an area’s health, heritage, light, views, green space, character and agency by stealth.

We hear of a takeover of NHS surgeries by a US company. A local patient tells me there was no consultation.

What was once a low-rise residential area is being slowly decimated by the rampant development, yet more skyscraper retail cathedrals to property consumerism on either side, Euston, King’s Cross, St Pancras, the Oriel at King’s Cross; now a (taller!) British Library extension with tech “start-up” space.

The next target is Phoenix Road, this route between the two stations, which happens to cut through Somers Town, where all the old locally listed building are demolished, to make this ripe for exploitation.

It’s there, Phoenix Road, that HS2 is funding a greening project (yay! something uncontroversial we can all get behind!). What, the evidence of meaningful and effective community collaboration by HS2?

Well, the people who’ve benefited so far are consultants (nigh on £300,0000 we learned and not even a daisy to be seen). At a meeting to plan (exciting!) projects, there were only five local residents.

When a local proposes a project, we are told that this will be decided by this consortium of consultants, designers, agencies and an art college who listen more to outsiders than to us.

And yes, it’s “obvious” this is another bandwagon. When it’s obvious there are locally elected groups. It’s called local democracy. Then they wonder why locals don’t bother “engaging”.

POLYSTERENE BANSHEE
Living in a tree, Euston
Name and address supplied