HS2 route-wide injunction

The High Court has imposed an injunction to restrain unlawful trespass on and obstruction of access to land on the route of the HS2 Scheme.

The injunction will not, and is not intended to, stop legitimate protest. Instead, we hope the injunction will prevent the violence, intimidation, and criminal damage that protests have frequently caused, harming the HS2 project and those working on it, and costing the UK taxpayer millions of pounds.

HS2 Ltd has noted recent inaccurate reporting of the injunction which was granted by the High Court on 20 September 2022 and renewed and extended on 31 May 2023. This short summary has no legal force and is not intended to provide legal advice, but is intended to correct misleading comment.

It is important that anyone who considers that they might be affected by the injunction reads it and seeks legal advice as necessary. Breach of an injunction is a very serious matter, and if a person if found in contempt of court, they may be fined, imprisoned, or both.

View or download a copy of the Order.

View or download copies of the documents relating to the application.

What the injunction does not do

The injunction does not:

• criminalise anyone. It is a civil injunction, not a criminal one.
• prevent protest against HS2 – where that protest is lawful and not on HS2’s land or preventing vehicles from getting on or off HS2’s land.
• prevent freeholders or leaseholders with property interests in the HS2 land or their guests from being on the HS2 land, unless those guests then try to damage or delay HS2 on that land.
• prevent anyone from using open public rights of way. A rambler who inadvertently strays from a footpath would not be in breach of the injunction unless they then tried to delay, hinder or damage HS2.

What the injunction does

The Injunction is concerned with actions which cause damage, delay or hinderance to HS2 or its contractors. It prohibits:

• trespass (see the link to the plans below)
• deliberately obstructing or preventing vehicles from entering or exiting HS2’s land.
• interfering with any signs, fences or gates on HS2’s land.

What the injunction covers

The injunction covers HS2’s land as set out in the High Speed Two Injunction Mapping plans and access to that land.  You can view and download the plans by clicking the buttons below.

High Speed Two (HS2) Injunction Mapping, Part 1.

High Speed Two (HS2) Injunction Mapping, Part 2.

The injunction also covers highways that have been closed by HS2 temporarily for works.  Where that category of land is covered by the injunction, a copy of the Order will be displayed on the land in question, along with a plan clearly identifying the land affected.