Over the course of the East West Rail project (EWR), we will need to access, survey and buy land to construct and operate the railway. This may include some residential properties.
As we continue to develop the designs for EWR, we are contacting people whose land and property could potentially be affected.
If you’ve received a letter from us to let you know that your land and/or property may ultimately be affected, we encourage you to contact our Land & Property team using the contact details at the bottom of this page. We understand that you may have questions, so we’ll put you in touch with the right specialist.
For example, you may want to better understand:
What homes and land will be affected by the Project?
In identifying the preferred route for the railway, we’ve tried to reduce potential impacts on land and property owners. As is typical for a project like this, at this stage it’s too early for us to know exactly what land we will need for the railway (either temporarily or permanently) as further design work and surveys need to be carried out. The design for EWR – and therefore the land we need – may change as a result of this work.
As we develop our land requirements, we are getting in touch with land and property owners to let them know how their land and property may be affected and the next steps. Visit the consultation page below to see the updated proposals and have your say.
More information for homeowners and landowners who may be affected by the Project is available in the following documents:
Consultation 2024
Documents
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Our approach to Land and Landowners
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East West Rail and the Development Consent Order (DCO) Process; What it means for Landowners
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Your Questions Answered if your property is potentially needed to build or operate our proposals
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Your Questions Answered if you are concerned that your property may be indirectly affected by our proposals
What happens if you need to carry out a survey on my land?
We don’t yet know for certain which land or property will ultimately be needed and the fact that we are carrying out surveys on a particular piece of land does not necessarily mean we will need to use it in the future.
If we need to survey your land, we will write to you and explain the type(s) of survey we would like to carry out, with a plan of the land we’d like to access. Some examples of the different types of survey include wildlife habitat surveys, groundwater monitoring, hedge surveys and archaeological trenching. You can read more about the types of surveys we carry out in the guides below. We will ask you to enter into a Land Access Agreement/Licence with us. This is also explained in the guides below.
How might my farm business be impacted?
We recognise that farms and other agricultural businesses need to know how they could be affected by East West Rail. Our specialist professional team meets with farm businesses across the route to help us understand how farms may be affected by the proposals. This helps us to design the proposals with the aim of avoiding or reducing these potential impacts, where possible.
We will get in touch with farm businesses to arrange Farm Business Interviews with our team. If you have any queries about the process in the meantime, you can read more in the guide below.
Guides
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Guide to Farm Business Interviews
What compensation will people be entitled to if their land or property is affected by the Project?
We've created the following guides for people whose land or property could be potentially affected by the Project and who may be entitled to compensation.
How can I get help to move if I need to sell but am unable to because of EWR?
Our Need to Sell (NTS) Property Scheme is supporting eligible property owners who have a compelling reason to sell their property but are unable to do so, other than at a substantially reduced value due to the EWR project.
More information is available on our dedicated Need to Sell page by clicking the button below.
Further information about the criteria and application process is available in the following guide and application form.
Need to Sell pageSafeguarding land and Statutory Blight
If you have received a letter from us to tell you that your land or property is within the safeguarded area, you can read more on our safeguarding page, including details on Statutory Blight.
Safeguarding page
Get in touch
You can contact the Land & Property team directly by phone on 0330 838 7583.
Alternatively, you can email us at [email protected] or by post at Freepost EAST WEST RAIL LAND.
If you want to speak to us about the Need to Sell Property Scheme, please contact the dedicated NTS team by phone on 0330 838 7583, or email us at [email protected].
The documents listed above can be downloaded from our website or copies can be sent out on request. We want to ensure that all our information is accessible, so please let us know if you need information to be provided in an alternative format.