The only real beneficiaries of all these political games is the lawyers and civil servants who get some extra work producing additional bits of paper. Anyone thinking the Schedule 17 mechanism provides a way to torpedo HS2 is going to be sadly mistaken.
Indeed, but there are people out there - such as Chris Packham, willing to clutch at more straws than an onanising scarecrow. They'll no doubt continue until the project is complete. It will be fascinating to see whether they make use of the new services.
If the government is serious about reducing the cost of infrastructure projects it needs to limit the potential for these types of actions.
It's worth pointing out that if Hillingdon is making unlawful planning decisions it will be local tax-payers who will pick up the legal fees for the resulting legal challenges.