Camden's leader has hit out at the prospect of “a partially abandoned building site” and "unusable roads" as the government announced delays to the completion of HS2.

Cllr Georgia Gould said residents living near Euston station “have lost homes, schools and businesses to HS2" and are "fed up of the disruption". 

She also warned that Hampstead Road and Euston Road "risk being virtually unusable for years".

The government announced this week that it would delay the Birmingham to Crewe leg of the multi-million pound high speed train link between London and the north of England and could hold up the opening of Euston as it draws up at an “affordable and deliverable design”.

Transport minister Mark Harper blamed soaring costs on “Putin’s war in Ukraine (which)  has hiked up inflation, sending supply chain costs rocketing. ”

However the government said it was committed to the Euston to Manchester HS2 line.

In a statement Cllr Gould said Camden residents have "already lived through years of disruption with no end in sight". 

She added: "If there is a delay, HS2 must not forget the promises they made to our community and must continue to deliver on them.

In January HS2 and the Department of Transport agreed a £29.2m compensation deal with Camden council for affected residents so they can move from their homes near HS2 on the Regents Park estate.

It follows years of campaigning by residents and the council who had to lobby Parliament because HS2 was approved there.

One parent described the disruption which affected the whole family. “My bedroom is next to the H2S work and it gives me and my family a lot of problems. Sleeping is very difficult. There is noise all day. All the windows are closed all day. When they drill my bed shakes. My blood pressure has gone up.”

Another resident told Camden council: “I can put up with a lot, but the noise and fumes are about to engulf us – it is going to finish me off.  It’s the first time in my life that I feel vulnerable.”

Cllr Gould warned HS2: “What we can’t have is a partially abandoned building site, with huge areas fenced off creating a barrier between our communities, and a general stagnation which leads to opportunities being lost.

"Instead, HS2 Ltd. need to make sure they open up the site where it is safe to do so and work with our communities on how they can be used during any delay. ”

In 2021 HS2 Rebellion campaigners were evicted after they set up a camp and tunnelled under Euston to protest at the high-speed railway, which is estimated to cost £106m.

Cllr Gould said: ”Local roads such as Hampstead Road and Euston Road risk being virtually unusable for years. HS2 must ensure any delay enables the restoration and improvement of this places, by reopening closed pavements and bus stops, and making walking and cycling safer and easier.”

Last year Transport for London scrapped a bike lane along Euston Road, put in during the pandemic, to make way for heavy vehicles transporting building materials and equipment to the HS2 site at Euston, as well as buses.

Cllr Gould called on HS2 Ltd to use the next two years “to ensure their plans deliver a new Euston Station, which is a fully integrated terminus for both HS2 and Network Rail trains, and allows maximum space for development of new homes, open space and jobs for our communities".

She said the company must also transport construction spoil and waste by rail instead of road “to help protect the health of our residents.”