By Sanchez Manning and Nigel Bunyan For The Mail On Sunday
Published: 02:03 GMT, 17 February 2019 | Updated: 02:20 GMT, 17 February 2019
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A couple who believe their home has been grossly undervalued by HS2 are launching a landmark legal case against the company running the controversial rail scheme.
Trevor and Justine Palin say their house is worth at least £60,000 more than HS2 has offered to pay for it under a compulsory purchase order for the proposed line.
The couple are planning to take the company to the High Court in a case which could pave the way for hundreds of other homeowners in a similar situation to take legal action.
Trevor and Justine Palin say they had their 150-year-old cottage in Knutsford, Cheshire, was valued at £485,000 but HS2 offered just £400,000. They decided to begin a crowdfunding appeal to raise money to take HS2 Ltd to a lands tribunal at the High Court
The development comes just days after it was reported Ministers are planning to axe the project for high-speed trains between London, Birmingham, Manchester, Leeds and Sheffield because of the spiralling cost.
Already more than £5.5 billion has been spent on the scheme and critics fear that it will eventually exceed the projected £56 billion budget.
The Palins’ 150-year-old cottage, set amid idyllic countryside in Knutsford, Cheshire, is located directly on phase two of the rail
