A Kent expert has been called in to advise landowners and farmers affected by the controversial high-speed line from London to Birmingham.

Tom French, managing partner at chartered surveyors BTF Partnership, based in Challock, is helping them with compensation issues arising from HST2, the new multi-billion pound railway that was announced during yesterday’s (8) Queen’s Speech.

Mr French undertook a similar role during the planning and construction of the high-speed line across Kent to the Channel Tunnel.

He will be speaking to groups and organisations around the Midlands and North West who are working to protect the interests of landowners and tenant farmers.

He said: “HS2 is certainly controversial and for landowners and farmers the scheme means they need to be planning ahead as the construction phase could last until 2026.

Depending on their location the main impact will be on how they farm the land affected up to construction, especially if it is either delayed or ahead of schedule and after once that phase is completed.

“As with HS1, for agricultural property owners the un-blighted market value of the land taken will reflect the future profits that could be expected to be made from farming.”

He added that the decision for tenant farmers could be more complicated because it depended on the timing of their tenancy renewal or whether or not they chose to renew their tenancy.

“Experience in the years after construction of HS1 shows that for land owners and tenant farmers life largely returns to normal and the areas considered to be blighted by their proximity to the railway could provide an opportunity for development and planning.”