AN action group is pressing for amendments to laws on blight following the controversial plans by Central Railway to build a freight link from Lille to Liverpool.
The National Central Railway Action Group (NatCRAG) has called for property owners to be compensated for any loss in their house value while proposals are still being considered, as opposed to solely when proposals are given the go-ahead.
As regulations stand, if Central Railway proposals are given the go-ahead, homeowners will only receive compensation when work begins in their area.
Other proposals put forward by NatCRAG include a ban on companies such as Central Railway making second bids for schemes that are similar.
This follows parliamentary refusal to give the go-ahead for a similar scheme in 1996.
A spokesman for Central Railway said: "Central Railway's property protection scheme has been pioneered by the company to maintain the value and saleability of property which could be affected either directly or indirectly during the development period or once the railway is built."
The Central Railway freight link would pass through Buckinghamshire on the Chiltern line.
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