Following our third non-statutory consultation, which ran between November 2024 and January 2025, we’re sharing how your feedback has helped shape key decisions about East West Rail in our Your Said, We Did Autumn Update.
To reflect these decisions and updates to our proposals, the Secretary of State for Transport has issued updated Safeguarding Directions for East West Rail. This means that if a local authority receives a planning application for a development on land that is within the safeguarding boundary for East West Rail, they must consult us before deciding whether to grant planning permission. That way, we can look at any potential conflicts between other proposed developments and our proposals for East West Rail.
It’s important to ‘safeguard’ the land for East West Rail in this way so we can continue to develop the designs for the railway with a clear understanding of what else is planned along the route. Safeguarding the land doesn’t necessarily mean that other development cannot go ahead.
You can see the updated safeguarding boundary on the plans below. We have written to everyone whose land or property is impacted by these updates. If you would like to speak to our Land and Property team about how you are impacted, please get in touch with us using the details at the bottom of this page.
You said, we did landing page
Directions & maps
-
Safeguarding Directions (November 2025)
-
Key Plan Oxford to Bletchley for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Fenny Stratford to Kempston for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Bedford for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Clapham to Colesden for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Roxton to St Neots for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Croxton to Toft for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Comberton to Shelford for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
Key Plan Cambridge for EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
EWR Safeguarding Maps
-
EWR Safeguarding Shapefiles November 2025
What happens if my property is within the safeguarded area?
As well as helping to protect the land needed for our proposals, the Safeguarding Directions also means that statutory blight provisions are available. If you own and occupy a property in the safeguarded area, you may be eligible to serve a blight notice on us asking us to buy your property before we need it to build the railway.
Further information about the Statutory Blight process, including details on who is eligible to apply and statutory compensation that may be available, can be found in our guides below.
Owner-occupiers who are not eligible to serve a Blight Notice may be able to apply under the Need to Sell (NTS) Property Scheme. Your property does not need to be within the safeguarded area for you to be eligible to apply under the scheme. More information on the NTS Property Scheme is available on our NTS page.
Need to Sell pageDocuments & guides
-
Guidance for Local Planning Authorities and Developers on the Safeguarding Directions issued for East West Railway Project
-
Guide to Serving a Blight Notice and Selling your Blighted Property
-
Summary of the Blight Notice process
-
How to sell your property through Statutory Blight
-
Blight Notice Information Questionnaire
-
Example Blight Notice form for an individual application
-
Example Blight Notice form for mortgagees
-
Example Blight Notice form for an individual serving a notice on behalf of someone else
-
Safeguarding factsheet
Get in touch
If you have any questions about your land and property or Statutory Blight, please contact our specialist Land & Property team. We will be able to talk to you about how East West Rail may affect your land or property and what options are available to you. We can also explain what information we would require from you if you are thinking about asking us to buy your land or property by issuing us with a Statutory Blight Notice. This may help you gather information to consider your next steps and the help you might need to do this.
You can get in touch with us by emailing [email protected], calling 0330 838 7583 or writing to us at Freepost EAST WEST RAIL LAND.
If you have a specific question about serving a blight notice please email [email protected].
If you have a question about the safeguarding and a planning application, please contact [email protected].