Church opposes HS2 rail links as it will 'desecrate graveyards'

The Archbishops’ Council said that the project will desecrate graveyards and may force nearby churches to close due to noise and vibrations from tra

12:37 02 June 2014

The Anglican Church is opposing the HS2 rail line saying that it will not only desecrate graveyards but may also force nearby churches to close due to noise and vibrations from trains. 

 

The Archbishops’ Council, which is led by archbishops of Canterbury and York, said that the bill should not be passed unless there is a guarantee that the exhumed remains will be treated properly. 

 

In a petition to the House of Commons, the council said: “Your petitioners therefore humbly pray your Honourable House that the Bill may not be allowed to pass into law as it now stands.” 

 

The council argued that the Bill did not “make adequate provision to ensure that during and after the removal of human remains they are treated in a decent and reverent manner or that they are subsequently reinterred in consecrated land”.

 

Sir Tony Baldry, a Tory MP, agrees with the Anglican Church. He said: “It’s a matter of common decency that when people are buried in consecrated ground they expect their remains not to be disturbed except in truly exceptional circumstances.”

 

 “I would hope HS2 will be willing to engage and consider what they can do to mitigate the impact on churchyards and remains they may have to inter.”