High Speed Two (HS2) has confirmed it will go ahead with an extension to the Chilterns tunnel in Buckinghamshire.

The Government has agreed to propose an amendment to the HS2 hybrid bill which will extend the 2.6km tunnel to a new portal just past the village of South Heath.

HS2, the company behind the HS2 rail project, states by continuing the main tunnel past the village, a separate 'green tunnel', designed to reduce noise and help blend the line into the landscape, would no longer be needed.

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The new proposals would reduce the scale and duration of construction activity, along with preserving 12 hectares of nearby woodland.

Transport Minister, Robert Goodwill, said: "We are committed to listening to the communities that live along the HS2 route as we deliver the railway’s important national benefits. These new proposals will protect woodland and mean less disruption for people living nearby."

Alison Munro, HS2 Managing Director of Development, added: "HS2 is determined to keep the environmental impact of the project as small as possible and we recognise the importance of listening to stakeholders and local communities as we continue to develop the scheme."

(LM)